Welcome to Roni's
by aeval
Summary: She didn't really feel regret... But, after waking up in Hyperion Heights and remembering who she was before she really regrets ever waking up at all. Roni/Regina realizes more Storybrook residents are around than she thought. F/F, with mentions of other pairing. Zelena, Hook, and many others will pop up. season 7 AU-ish, RedQueen
1. Chapter 1

It wasn't that she was incapable of feeling regret, but she seldom felt or gave into the fleeting emotion. But, when that twirp Drizella woke her up from the life she had been leading for god knows how long she felt it. Having been under a amnesia curse put a different spin on her own dark curse. She had two very, very different lives.

One, as Regina. The Evil Queen, the girl who had been hurt so many times; brutalized by her mother and manipulated by rumplestiltskin to give into her own demons. The woman who found power, revenge and ultimately love in her son, Robin and secretly Henry's other mother. The woman who found salvation, and had her heart broken so many times over by the ones she cared for. And then there was her new life, her freedom. She was Roni. A woman who had demons but lived as she wanted. She had a business, she had friends who actually cared about her and she was free to be herself in whatever way that pleased her. That most recently was in the form of a slender brunette that graced her bed more often than not. She was another waitress from her bar, but she was special. Roni always knew that. Despite the fact she was younger than herself, she was wise and strong beyond her body. With long, flowing hair that currently covered her exposed body in the early morning sun that peaked into the bartenders apartment.

Regina sighed. Everything would be different now, but selfishly she wanted this… Just this to stay the same.

* * *

" _We're not open until noon, or does the sign on the door allude you?" Roni called as she continued unloading a box of her favourite whiskey. Her curls falling in her eyes despite the bandana she had tied as a headband. "I'm sure you can drink somewhere else until then, or find an AA meeting that's suitable and most likely needed."_

" _Well, given i'm here to apply for a job and not drink," a voice replied, as the owner stalked across the floor towards the mahogany bar. "The sign didn't allude me, you need a waitress or no?" The young woman asked as Roni's head turned up. The girl was holding her_ _ **help wanted**_ _sign in one hand and the other was planted against her jutted out hip. "I'm Rose Lupin."_

" _Roni Molinos," The bartender replied as she pushed her unruly hair out of her eyes. "You new in the Heights? I haven't seen you around before."_

" _You been looking?" Rose smirked as she moved closer to put the sign and her resume on the bar next to the box._

 _Roni raised an eyebrow and chucked at the girl, "I like sass. You'll need it to work here. We have quite a motley crew of regulars." she turned around to grab two tumblers and the open bottle of whiskey from the bar before pouring a shot into each glass. She slid the second glass towards the woman and picked up the resume. "Huh… few bars on the east coast, a diner and what i'm assuming is a strip club or a asian tourist trap…" Roni remarked as she looked up from the page._

" _Nepal…" Rose shrugged, before taking the glass off the bar and knocking it back. She rolled her eyes at Roni's amused smirk, "I wanted to get out of my hometown and I heard they have Lemurs and I like Lemurs."_

" _You're an interesting girl, Rose Lupin," Regina chuckled tossing her own drink back before tossing a black tank top at the other woman from behind the bar. "Welcome to Roni's."_

* * *

(A/N: Yes? This? I don't know why it just kinda came to me last night... But, yeah. Regina discovering another EF member after waking up... this time in her bed. This will be very lightly based on what's actually happening on the show. I really don't pay much attention to anyone but the OC Cast.)


	2. Chapter 2

**(AN: Italics are past. Also I'm taking super AU liberties with this.)**

 **Chapter 2**

"Stop thinking so hard," a sleepy voice mumbled from the mountain of covers thrown about her bed. "It's waking me up."

"How do you know i'm thinking if you are sleeping," Roni asked as she moved closer to the mattress and knelt down on the space she vacated many hours before. Normally, she would have stripped off all her clothes and crawled into bed with the beautiful form laying in her bed; but now, she hesitated. She felt two instincts fighting within her as she tentatively reached out and softly pushed Rose's hair back off her face so she could better see the woman.

She hadn't aged. But, to be fair none of them had. Regina remembered when she had last seen the woman in person, when Snow had held her hand and she clicked her heels three times in the sepia coloured trip to hell she had the rest of her family embarked on all those years ago. Red had gone away to be with her _true love_ in Oz… How is it possible that she was here now? In Hyperion Heights… In her bed of all places.

"You are radiating weird energy," Rose mumbled as she rolled onto her stomach, and closer to Roni, her head sliding into the woman's lap once she was seated. "Where did you go last night? I saw you were talking to Ivy and then you bounced."

"Ivy is a little flea," Regina grumbled as she instinctively began running her fingers though Ruby's hair… Rose's hair she corrected herself once she realized the name had crossed her mind. "I went to see that cop Rogers." She shrugged, "Wanted to file a report against that asshat that got into a fight the other day in the bar. Then I drove around for a bit and ended up crashing in the back of the jeep and watching the sunrise." She wasn't totally lying. She did end up driving her jeep "How was the rest of the night at the bar?"

"Fine," Rose replied not believing her lover in the least, "You don't have to lie, Roni. You can just say it's none of my business." The younger woman was alert now, and moving to sit up. Regina sighed as she watched the woman, and the glorious naked body she had come to worship, leave her bed. "Hey," She said as she grabbed her hand, "You know it's not like that. I just… It's something i'm working on and I don't wanna talk about it yet, okay?" Rose nodded, as she moved closer and leaned down and gently kissed Roni. After a moment she pulled back and ran her thumb across the muted pink lip she just left. "What?" Roni asked breathily.

"Why does this feel different?" Rose whispered, causing Regina's eyes to blink open to meet the dark obsidian ones gazing back at her. The taller woman leaned down and kissed Roni again, deeper, but just as softly as before. "I'm not minding the different." She said as she pulled away with a smile.

"Red?" Regina asked carefully as she watched the girl across the room. Rose stopped, as her legs slipped into a pair of leggings.

"Huh?"

Regina signed, almost sad that the kiss hadn't broken whatever curse they were currently under, "Wear the red." she said as she pointed to the small mass of clothes that Rose had at her apartment.

"You always did like me in red," Rose smirked as she pulled on a pair of denim shorts over her leggings and grabbed the red bra that she assumed Roni had bene meaning.

"Yeah, I always have." Regina smiled before laying back on her bed with years and years of memories of the other woman swirling through her head.

* * *

" _So, tell me about yourself," Rose asked after a few weeks of working at Roni's. Day in and out she would work alongside her enigma of a boss. She would tell stories of the lemurs she saw in Nepal, as well as the stories she made up about patrons at the diner she worked at back east. When the bar got busy at night the younger woman couldn't help but smile when she heard the throaty laugh from her boss as she interacted some of her more loyal patrons and the scarce friend that stopped by. Rose had met and become friendly with a few faces around the neighbourhood, mostly her next door neighbour Henry and his friends Jacinda and the cop, Rogers._

" _Not much to tell," Roni shrugged as she hopped up onto the back bar and started dusting the shelf. Rose stopped wiping the tables and admired the form fitting black jeans and the curve of the woman's muscular arm and shoulders showing beneath her tank top. "Came to Seattle liked bars, worked in bars, bought a bar…" she said simply, amused at the blatant staring the younger woman was doing that she could see in the mirror behind the bottles. "Dear, my ass is nowhere near the tables that need polishing."_

" _Shit," Rose fumbled as she reached for her cloth, "Um, yeah…" she exclaimed awkwardly as she tried to hide the blush the now crept over her pale features. Roni hopped down off the bar and rounded it to hop on a stool to watch her employee. "Because that was embarrassing enough, you're going to watch me and make it 100x more awkward for me?"_

 _Roni let out a loud laugh, throwing her head back in the way that had begun to drive Rose crazy, "Not at all, you gotta watch my ass… I think it's only fair I can watch yours for a moment. That sound okay?" The waitress looked dumbstruck for a moment before slowly nodding._

 _That was the start of several very long weeks of shameless flirting before ether one of them finally made a move._

* * *

Regina leaned against the back door of her bar, she lifted the half smoked cigarette to her lips and took a shallow puff. She would have been grossed out by her own alter ego smoking, but after the headache from her personality shift had caused she honestly couldn't care. She sighed an exhale, her hand rubbing under the black rimmed glasses she had been forced to wear today because of said headache. She didn't know how to handle this. How to handle Henry not remembering her, having a granddaughter, a look-alike hook, an evil mother and daughter duo; and most of all, she hand no idea what to do about the fact that she not only was sleeping with Ruby… but she could feel Roni's… her love for her.

"Roni," A voice called out in a sing-song pitched tone. The former evil queen snapped her head towards the right side of the ally and groaned when she saw the girl that seemed to be the cause of a whole lot of headaches around town, Tilly.

"Dear god, not today." She groaned, not nearly rested or civil enough to handle her.

"I heard through the dandelions that you remember," The somewhat-mad girl smiled as she leaned against the brick, "Your Mum really did a number on Wonderland, your highness."

Regina's head snapped towards Tilly but the blond had scampered off through the alley before she could reply, "Shit… Alice?"


	3. Chapter 3

**(AN/ Thank you for the couple reviews. Keep them coming I like to hear what you guys are thinking. For my lovely friend who asked about Zelena and Robin? Yep, you know i'm bringing them in :) )**

 **Chapter 3**

" _So it's not much," Rose apologized as she unlocked the door to her apartment, "I didn't move here with much from back east, I lived with someone and I didn't really want to wait around to deal with that shit." She shrugged as she pushed open the door to her studio apartment. "It's just me a wolfe."_

" _Wolfe?" Roni asked as she followed the younger woman into her home, careful to try to stay on the doormat. They had been walking around after the bar closed for the night, and a late night thunderstorm had opened up the sky and left them soaked to the bone. Rose had suggested they just go to her place to get dry and out of the cool rain and wind. Before the name could finish slipping off her lips she noticed a small puff of fur running towards its owner, and the door._

" _This is Wolfe," Rose chuckled as she picked up the dark grey cat and kissed his head, "Wolfe, this is my friend Roni." She joked before putting the struggling animal down. "I hope you're not allergic."_

 _Roni shook her head and toed off her boots, "Nope, just never really had pets before." Rose had wandered towards the bathroom and grabbed two towels and threw one at her boss. "Thanks, I should check the weather before I suggest wandering around after work."_

" _No big deal," Rose smiled as she ran the towel through her hair, "Do you want a change of clothes? I could find some food around here if you want? I think I have… Vodka, beer and popcorn."_

" _You eat like a kid," Roni scolded with a smile, "But, sure that sounds good."_

* * *

It's hard to avoid someone when you employ them, Regina realized as she put the finishing touches on her hair. It's also hard to avoid someone who hasn't done anything wrong, but she couldn't help but feel guilty about her relationship with Ruby. Her mind would go insane with the thought that she was complicit in the fact the wolf was separated from what seemed to be her true love. She had gone so far as to flip through the storybook, well Adult-Henry's published book to see if it gave any information about how Ruby left Oz. This only caused her to feel more guilty since the book only gave detail about how Dorothy was brought out of her curse by _true love's kiss._

"Okay," Regina exclaimed to herself, "As far as I can tell it's just me, Drizilla, and Alice who I know are awake. I wouldn't be surprised if Belfry and Gold are as well." She mused as she went around tidying up her apartment. "Maybe I should talk to the little nut-job again to see what she knows…"

* * *

 _After nearly an entire bowl of popcorn and a couple beers each, Rose and Roni sat together watching the movie that played out on the television. Neither of them truly paying attention to it. A few more beats passed before the older women turned her head slightly to regard her friend._

" _You mentioned you live with someone before you moved here," She said simply, "A lover?"_

 _Rose nodded after a moment, "Something like that. She was great until it wasn't," she said before taking a large pull of her beer. "Bounced when it got way too much to handle. It seemed like the best option."_

" _I see," Roni replied, "You think she'll come looking to reconcile?"_

 _The younger women laughed, "I doubt she realized I was gone for the first week. I'm pretty confident in the fact I won't see her again." She smiled over at Roni, "What about you? You don't seem to talk for male or female attention around work."_

" _This is true, but I'm less interested in them and more interested in how it affects my tip jar." Roni replied as she rolled her glass bottle between her palms, "I not a huge fan of dating. I don't enjoy the mundanity of it all."_

" _More of a one night kinda girl?" Rose asked, trying to not let a hint of disappointment lace her voice._

" _Nah, that's not fun to me ether. I like the getting together and enjoying each other more than the labels that seem to end up ruining everything."_

" _So you enjoy the sex and comfort without the work?"_

" _Exactly," She replied, "if you're not dating you can't fight or make things awkward. If you just have sex you don't have to worry about the pain of it all in the end."_

" _That may be the most damaged things i've ever heard," Rose smiled sadly, "One day, maybe you'll think i'm a good enough friend for you to talk about it." She simply reached over and placed her hand over the bar owners. She blinked a few times before quickly leaning in and placing a gentle kiss on Roni's lips. "Stay here tonight?"_

" _Rose…" Roni exhaled, as she ran the tips of her fingers along Rose's jawbone. "I doubt that's a good idea." She said as she watched the younger woman's eyes. They were this unique brown that had distinct emotions that shown in colours. Over the last weeks Roni had been noticing when the young waitress was excited they highlighted with green, tired or restless they had more gray and when she was nervous they had a gold hue. Right now, they were golden._

" _Please… Nothing needs to happen tonight, just stay. It's still pouring and it's late…"_

 _Roni let a few beats pass as she watched her friend, "Alright," she said with a nervous smile, "I'll stay."_

* * *

It was early, much earlier than Roni was normally awake but it was late for Regina. Her body was torn between her two lives and it turned out so was her brain and heart. She had successfully avoided Ruby for three days before she gave in and followed her body's urges and showed up late last night at the girl's door. She didn't say anything before she pulled the waitress into her arms and pressed her against the nearest wall. They spent the night not speaking more than shuddered exclamations of pleasure and need. Then, in a most improper way, Regina slipped out of her partners arms and out of her home in the early morning.

"Good Morning, Roni," a deep voice called as she impatiently pressed the button for the elevator. Her head jerked up, her sunglass covered eyes searched before landing on the form off her inexplicably grown son. "You're up early,"

"Henry," She exhaled as she pushed her sunglasses up and into her hair, "I could say the same for you," Regina replied as she drank in the sight of her son for the first time since she 'woke up'.

"Thought about going for a walk, but decided on a brisk walk to get a donut…" He smiled, which reminded his mother so much of him when he was just a boy trying to get her to allow him a donut at Grannies. "Want to come? You look like you might need a coffee."

Regina hesitated before stepping into the elevator once it opened, "Sure, that sounds good."

* * *

"So," Henry said as he opened a packet of sugar and dumped it into his coffee mug. He watched as Roni simply added a hit of cream to hers before taking a sip. "You are the secret woman that Rose has been keeping."

"What?" Regina nearly choked as she sipped her coffee, "I have no idea what you're implying." SHe said, sternly.

"Sure you don't." Henry laughed as he took a sip of his coffee, "She's been at least happy with you being around and she likes working at the bar. She's a good kid."

"She's older than you," Regina scoffed, "Most likely."

"She is slightly older than me." Henry laughed, "I didn't take you for being so touchy about your relationships." He remarked before taking a bite of his chocolate donut.

"I'm not," She replied, trying to overcome the awkwardness of talking to her son about the woman she's been sleeping has to keep reminding herself that she was not his mother in this context. She was the woman who owned a bar and had become friendly with the man. "I'm just in a strange headspace recently.

"I get that, things have been weird with Jacinda and I lately too. I never really know where we are going" He remarked dejectly.

"It's hard to date a single parent," She said simply, knowing how difficult it was to allow Robin into her life back what seemed to be a million years ago. "Give her space and time. But, I've been thinking of heading to San Francisco in a few weeks. You're more than welcome to tag along if you're still needing to clear your head."

"What's in San Francisco?" He asked

"Someone who may be able to help with something," She said between sips, "An old friend of mine."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"What the Fuck, Roni?" Rose exclaimed as she b-lined to the back of the bar. The older woman's head darted up and scanned the bar. It was early just a few day-drinkers, but still more than she cared to witness what was sure to be a fight.

"Not here," Regina hissed before taking Rose back into the storage room, "What the hell, coming in cursing at me!"

"You're the asshole who came to my house, fucked me until we passed out… then bounced before i even woke up." Rose exclaimed, her voice trembling slightly. "I know what you _don't_ want from this, but fuck i thought I at least _meant_ something to you." a stray tear slipped from the girls eye and she hastily wiped it away.

"Rose," Regina sighed as she tried to run her fingers over the waitresses cheekbone before getting her hand swatted away, "Baby please stop," she whispered, letting Roni take over and let her guard shatter. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that, it was confusing and I've been shitty to you lately."

"Yes, you have and I didnt do anything,"

"You have not, I recently found out something that freaked me out and while i'm not ready to talk about it, I shouldn't take it out on you." Regina admitted, "I do care about you very much and I never want you to not know that."

"Just stop being a dick," Rose said softly, allowing Roni to take her hand. "I'm fine with the fucking me into oblivion though, that can continue." she said trying to lighten the mood.

"Good to know," she said before kissing the waitress soundly. After a few moments a throat cleared behind them causing the pair to jump apart.

"Sorry," Jacinda said sheepishly, "We need more paper," She grabbed a stack of napkins before heading out.

"We should go back to work," Regina groaned against Rose's neck. "Remind me to talk to you and Jacinda later about watching the bar when i go out of town next week."

* * *

" _I gotta talk to your mom, kid," Roni laughed as she slid Lucy a grilled cheese sandwich, "I'm pretty sure I'm gonna get arrested if cops other than Weaver and Rogers come in here." She joked as she went about organizing and re-filling the bottles on the lower counter of the bar._

" _Good thing they don't," The little girl smiled, "And, no one is here but you and me."_

" _This is true," Roni replied as she grabbed two water bottles from the lower fridge. "You're mom's at work?"_

" _I think she was meeting with my grandmother," Lucy sighed, "and, I told her i'd wait with Sabine but she wasn't home and I texted her saying I'd come to see you."_

" _You have a cellphone?" Roni asked, not having spent much time around children,_

" _Yeah. Well, i'm only allowed to use it for talking to my mom or Sabine and emergencies." Lucy explained between bites of her sandwich._

" _Baby, did you take my shirt?" Rose exclaimed as she rounded the corner from the back staircase that led into Roni's apartment. She had just a pair of jeans on and a sports bra as she worked to pull her long wavy hair into a braid over her shoulder. She noticed they weren't alone, "Oh fuck." as she saw Lucy before ducking behind the closest wall._

" _Good morning, Rose." Roni laughed, "Just grab a black shirt of mine, it's fine." as she shook her head to the sound of Rose running up the stairs. "So that's Rose…"_

" _Is she your true love?" Lucy exclaimed excitedly as she looked up at her mother's friend with bright, innocent eyes._

" _She's a friend, Luce." Roni said simply, "She just moved to the Heights a few months ago, she was all around the country and the world before then. Just ask her about Lemurs!" She smiled as Rose made her way back into the room and kissed Roni on the cheek before mouthing sorry. "Lucy meet Rose Lupin, Rose this is my friend Jacinda's daughter Lucy."_

" _Hey," Rose smiled as she moved to sit down on a stool next to the girl. "LIttle young to be working in a bar, aren't you?" She joked before stealing one of the girl's apple slices._

" _I'm just keeping Roni company," She huffed before her face lit up with realization, "Oh my goodness, Rose Lupin… You're Red!" Rose stared at the girl for a moment before looking at Roni. "You're Snow's best friend and you can turn into a wolf!"_

" _I'm sorry… what?"_

" _Lucy, don't freak out our friends with Henry's stories…. This dude Henry wrote a book she's obsessed with and thinks we all remind her of characters from fairytales." Roni explained, "But, we are just people and that's just a story, right Lucy?"_

" _No," The girl mumbled, "It's real...You're Regina the former evil queen and you're little red riding hood. But, you should be in Oz…" she continued to munch on her sandwich. "You all are gonna feel stupid when it turns out all to be real."_

" _Evil Queen?" Rose asked as she raised an eyebrow. "Hey, wanna let me borrow your book sometime and let me make a judgement for myself?" she asked Lucy nicely, "Then we can talk about the book and stuff."_

" _Really?" Lucy said with an excited smile before scurrying to her backpack around the bar and grabbing the book. "Here! See Roni, Rose believes in magic."_

" _Sure she does," Roni replied as she went about working on setting up for the day while Rose chatted about magic and lemurs with the child… who was still sitting at her bar calling her the Evil Queen._

* * *

Regina walked through the park towards a more secluded area she heard from Rogers that _Tilly_ hung out around. She pulled the neck of her pea coat closer to her body as she carried a paper bag in the other. She gazed around and saw a girl sitting on a bench playing chess against herself, Regina sighed before moving closer.

"Alice," She called out as she moved into range of the manic woman. "May I sit?"

"Of course, Your Highness." The girl replied with a shrug, "Care to play?"

"If I must." Regina said as she extended the bag towards to alice to take. "It's a packaged sandwich and water and a few granola bars. Killian said you may not take anything not sealed."

"Bloody right, Rumplestiltskin tried to drug me with Belfry's medications to keep me cloudy." Alice said as she reset the board and rotated the board to have the white pieces towards regina. "I heard you're of the light magic these days."

"I'm of no magic these days," She stated, "What do you know? Why are we here? Where is everyone else? I know Emma and Hook are in storybrooke with her parents and whatever but what about the others?"

"Not sure," Alice said, "I know your sister is in California, but that may mostly be because of me." she reached into the sack and grabbed a granola bar. "Belfry did the best she could to separate everyone or at least change everyone."

"Why does Zelena being in San Francisco have to do with you? But, she did a number it feels like there is a war in my head," Regina admitted, "I'm worried about how everyone else will feel when they awaken. If they do…"

"Robyn," Alice admitted with a mouth full of her treat, "You don't want your friends and son back?"

"I do… But, I fear a few of them have gone through too many personality changes and memory curses and they might be hurt." She said, solely thinking of the woman currently occupying her bed. "Wait, what have you done with my niece?"

"What haven't I?" alice smirked as she indicated for regina to begin to play. Regina moved a piece and tried to follow what the insane woman was saying before it dawned on her.

"You're in love with her," She exclaimed as she countered Alice's move on the board, "You and my niece?"

"Can I call you my aunt in-law?" Alice smiled as she claimed a pawn.

"Absolutely not." she said as she claimed Alice's rook. "Well, that's a reason to seperate them from here. Do you know why we are here? Why Henry is here and how Ruby got back from Oz?"

"Henry came over with all of us. We all happened to be in the Enchanted forest when the curse was enacted, just my bloody luck eh? I came to help you and my father and before I even reached everyone the curse happened." Alice said as they continued to play, "I don't know how Ruby arrived here… I saw her during a pop into Oz and she came back to wonderland with me but that's the last I saw of her."

"You took Ruby to _Wonderland_?" Regina exclaimed, "Why the hell would you take her there she had her _True Love_ in Oz?"

"I'm not going to tell her secrets." Alice said simply. "You'll have to ask her when she wakes up."


	5. Chapter 5

**(AN: thanks for the reviews, keep them coming!)**

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

"Where the hell is it," Regina exclaimed as she looked through the cabinet in her apartment. She looked above the sink, below the sink, where she kept the coffee and cereal.

"What's wrong?" Rose asked as she came from the bedroom wrapped in a sheet.

"I'm looking for something," She said as she continued to look.

"You finished it," Rose sighed as she moved to pour a cup of coffee for herself and Roni. "It's a little early for whiskey."

"Rose, not today okay?" Regina sighed as she moved to grab the cream from the fridge. She moved over to her purse and pulled out two small airplane sized whiskeys from the bag. She emptied them into her coffee and stirred it.

"Are you kidding me with this?" Rose exclaimed as she watched her lover, "it's ten o'clock in the morning."

"And, i've been up since 5 and busy with some stuff." Regina replied as she turned to grab a frying pan and the eggs from the fridge.

"The secret stuff you can't tell me," the younger woman sighed, "I don't even understand why you bother with me given you don't tell me anything."

"Seriously, we've talked about this a million times!" Regina shot back, "I don't want to talk about it."

"We've also been over your drinking a million times, yet here we are with you drinking in the morning again."

Regina stopped, she had honestly forgotten that _Roni_ and Rose had a conversation about her drinking. But, admitting that would certify her and rose getting deeper into this fight and telling her she forgot would do the same. Regina simple moved to the sink and dumped her mug of coffee and moved to make a fresh one. "You're right, we did. I'll try harder."

"I just don't love it when you're tipsy before noon." Rose said softly as she watched her lover.

* * *

 _They had been seeing each other for a few months in private, it just seemed better since they weren't actually dating. Rose had begun to notice things, like Roni never really smiled. She'd smirk or plaster on a grin that didn't quite reach her eyes. That sometimes she'd stare into the distance and you'd have to tap her on the shoulder because calling her name didn't work. Sometimes she wore glasses when she was tired or had a migraine coming on, and if she had a migraine she locked herself away for days. Rose had also noticed the smaller woman was plagued by nightmares, and that sometimes when Rose would try to wake her from them shed a static shock. But, one of the most concerning things she noticed was that Roni drank… a lot._

 _She first noticed it one morning when they were setting up the bar after a particularly rowdy night. She had run out to coffee shop on the corner and brought back two coffees and bagels. After a bit of restocking Rose picked up a paper cup and took a sip. What she expected was her creamy, slightly over sweet coffee… What she tasted was Roni's black coffee with a healthy dose of whiskey. She sputtered and Roni looked up, "Jesus," Rose exclaimed, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand. "How are you drinking that at 10 in the morning?"_

 _Roni just shrugged and took her cup out of rose's hand and kissed her lips softly, before heading off to start taking the chairs off the freshly mopped floor._

 _If it had only been that once maybe Rose wouldn't be so uncomfortable with it, but she started noticing the shots with customers, or when no one was watching. Her side meetings with Rogers or the beer she had while she had dinner. Rose noticed that she never seemed drunk or even tipsy, just seemed even more like Roni if that was possible. Like the drink gave her freedom her sober body did not allow._

" _Roni." Rose said one night while they lay in the waitresses bed in a lazy afterglow. "Do you ever think you drink too much?_

 _The other woman sat up and looked down at her lover, "Last time I checked I was a grown ass woman who had been handling my own shit for quite some time." she snapped, "So, I believe the answer to that is not really anyone's business but my own."_

" _I'm not accusing you, im saying i worry about you." Rose sighed as she sat up and ran her hand up Roni's muscular back. She could feel the tightness in the older woman's muscles. "Please don't be mad."_

" _I'm not mad, Rose." Regina replied, "I don't like people telling me how to live my life. I'm not falling over drunk, I never get drunk so just allow me to handle my life the way I need to okay?"_

" _Why do you need to drink?"_

" _I don't," Roni said defensively, "I just like too. It comes with owning a bar, and it makes it easier."_

" _Easier?" Rose questioned as she moved to put her long, lithe legs around Roni. She encircled her arms around the woman's body and pressed herself into Roni's back urging her to lean into her form._

" _Makes everything easier." She admitted, before leaning her head back onto Rose's shoulder. "I'm not hurting anyone, i'm not doing anything wrong. I'm just doing what I gotta to get by."_

" _I just don't like it when you drink in the morning okay?" Rose asked, trying to get some movement on the current problem. If she could get Roni to stop day-drinking maybe it would help. Maybe._

* * *

"Are you sure you're good with the bar for a few days?" Regina asked as she fidgeted with her purse. "I don't think i've ever not been here…" she said trying to rack her brain to see if Roni had left the area. Nothing came to memory.

"Yes," Jacinda and rose both replied as they stood in front of their boss. "It will be okay."

"Yeah it's just a couple days, right?" Rose asked, still unsure about this trip her lover was taking to see a friend she seemed to be estranged from. "Just don't go too crazy down there."

"Unlikely," Regina chuckled, "I just gotta do this and come back." She assured her, she reached over and pulled Rose into a kiss before quickly pulling away. "Yeah, okay I gotta go." She said before swiftly heading out the door to her jeep to make the drive to San Francisco to to find her sister and wake her up.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Got any snacks?" A voice asked from the back area of Regina's jeep, causing her to swerve off the course momentarily.

"Holy hell," She cried out as she looked briefly over her shoulder to a grinning Alice. "How the hell are you here?"

"I jumped in when you were saying goodbye to your girlfriend," Alice said simply as she clamoured over the console to the passenger seat. "I decided you needed some company since your son didn't want to join you."

"She's not my girlfriend, and Henry needed to stay in town," she corrected her new co-pilot. "Seriously, how did you get in my car?"

Alice just smiled, "Sure Red isn't your girlfriend."

"Alice, why are you here? We don't even know if Robyn is in San Francisco." Regina replied as she reached for her coffee cup and took a sip. "How are you even with her? I don't recall her being in Wonderland."

"I met her in the Enchanted Forest while I was a child. My father had been taken and I was living with a coven of witches," She explained before rooting through Regina's tote bag for any signs of food. "That's when I met your sister and my beloved."

"She never mentioned you when I came back to the Enchanted Forest to be with Henry, and I guess your father… The not-hook-hook." Regina mused as she swatted Alice away and reached in and handed her an apple. "Eat that."

"I've heard a legend about you and apples," She teased, "Are you trying to put me to sleep?"

"I bought it at Whole Foods, thank you," Regina said with a roll of her eyes. "So, so you don't know anything about your cursed friend… Okay. All I can remember of Roni and my sister, whose name is Morgan in this place, is that they fought a lot but used to be quite close."

"You're going to break her memory fog?" Alice asked between bites of the apple, "Can you break Robyn's?"

"Not today I can't," she said regretfully, "I also think it might be dangerous to have so many people awake before we know anything about why this curse happened or who caused it. We can try to get Zelena to get Robyn to come with us." Alice looked sad at the idea of not having the woman she loved back but then nodded in agreement. "Alice, where do you live when we're at home?"

"The storage container out by the Troll Bridge." She said simply before turning back to look out the window. Regina watched her for a moment, her youthful innocence marred by years of mental torment in Wonderland and a good amount of mind-bending drugs.

"We need to look into getting you a real home, a young woman shouldn't be alone, especially with all the shit going on in the Heights."

"I have always taken care of myself," Alice exclaimed as she crossed her arms. "I'm an adult."

"You're 19 years old, you're a teenager." Regina quipped, "Now, quiet you. I'm trying to figure out how I'm gonna deal with Zelena."

* * *

 **(Flashback to the Enchanted Forest, post-Neverland, pre-Robin while Emma and Henry are in New York)**

 _Being alone was harder than ever now that they were back in the Castle. She was back that the castle that held the majority of her bad memories. It was here she was married off to a man nearly as old as her father at the age of 15. It was here that her mother continued the mental and physical abuse that started so early in her childhood and it was here she was forced to mother a child only a few years her junior and let her hate and darkness seep into her soul. Now she was back, she was back and she had just lost her son and the one person despite everything she regarded as a friend. It was the middle of the night and Regina sat under her wilted apple tree that was once lush and fruitful. Regina sipped her apple cider that had somehow made it all these years, and it was plenty strong from age. She drank it straight from the bottle she had sealed it in, not caring at all about Queenly demeanour._

" _Want to share that?" A voice called out from behind her, causing Regina to jump and summon a fireball. "Calm down it's just me." Ruby said as she moved closer to Regina. She had on her red cloak over the corseted dress she had been wearing all day._

 _Regina extinguished the flame and nodded as she slid over on the bench for Ruby to sit down on. "Going for a howl at the moon?" Regina asked as she watched the younger woman sit on the bench._

" _Not wolfstime yet, though I'm truly not looking forward to that. I'm sure it's going to be more intense now that we are back here." She said ruefully as she accepted the bottle that Regina offered. Ruby had never imagined that she'd be sharing a drink with the Evil Queen, at her castle and straight from the bottle, nonetheless. "I never thought we'd come back here."_

" _Neither did I," Regina admitted, "I never wanted to come back here."_

" _Me either," Ruby agreed before passing the bottle back, "I liked my life in storybrooke, well despite the fact I may have had a bit of a reputation."_

" _You know that I know little of that was true." Regina asked her, "But. I get what you mean. This place hold… It holds a lot of demons for me and being here is nothing I ever wanted."_

" _You didn't want to be Queen?"_

" _Never, I wanted to be in the country with my horse and the boy I thought I loved," Regina told her, "I simply wanted a family that would care for me. Then my mother married me to Snow's father when I was simply 15 and I got all of this and a lot of years of pain and losing control."_

" _Fifteen?" Ruby asked, "Fuck. I'm sorry about that."_

 _Regina simply shrugged as she took a sip of the bottle, "None of it matters now, I find myself back here. Without my son. Watching the very person who helps me ruin my life get to be happy, get to be with her love and get to be having a child. And, I'm alone."_

" _You're not alone, Regina." Ruby said softly, "We're all here to support each other, but more so, you have me. I know we're not friends but we're outsiders here. No one really trusts us and we will always frighten them. But, you do not frighten me."_

" _I should. I can feel the urge to return to what I was without Henry now that it's here." Regina said, "And, being without him isn't worth going on." She must have been drinking longer than Ruby thought because the candour that was coming from the Queen was surprisingly vulnerable._

" _Well. Just hang out with me," Ruby smiled, taking another sip. "I don't have the misconceptions everyone else does. I know darkness and pain too. Want to know something no one else knows about today?"_

" _Sure," Regina sighed as she looked up into the pitch black sky._

" _It's my birthday." She said, "I know that a lot of stuff has been going on, but it's my birthday and no one has any idea."_

" _Happy Birthday, Ruby," Regina said honestly before they settled into a comfortable quiet as they pass the bottle back and forth between each other._


	7. Chapter 7

_**Chapter 7**_

Headed up to Roni's apartment to drop the till of the bar after she and Jacinda closed up for the night. Roni had just left earlier that day with instructions that she should leave the cash for the bar up in her apartment, in a safe she kept in her closet. Rose did just that and was just about to head out of the apartment and head to her own place with Jacinda and Henry, her eye caught on a small wrapped box sitting on the small table in the living room. Rose couldn't help herself as she moved over towards the it. She saw her same carefully printed on a folded paper and she picked it up.

 **R,**

 **I'm sorry I'm not here on your birthday. And, now you're wondering how I knew it was your birthday. Well, I do. I wish we were together. I know you have memories that indicate that you've spent the majority of your birthday alone, but I know that you maybe just forgot. I know it's been weird lately, but I promise it will get better soon. I want you to think about maybe coming to stay with me more often… Happy Birthday, Dear.**

 **Love, R**

Rose blinked away tears that came to her eyes before she moved to open the small box. She slid it open and smiled at the key to Roni's apartment that was attacked to a wolf keychain.

* * *

"I am not doing that," Alice exclaimed as she looked at the strange exercise class going on.

"It's strange and cruel, I'll give it that." Regina commented, "Do you want to go find things to eat on the way back?" she offered, knowing the teen was nearly always wanting food. The blonde nodded and regina handed her a few bills. "Not all sweets please. Come back here when you're done and you an ask her about Robyn." Alice beamed and headed off away from the gym that regina found her sister to work at.

It was almost embarrassing how much the class kicked Regina's ass, she was nowhere near out of shape, but there was a difference between her abilities to survive long travel and battle in the Enchanted forest or do yoga that did not translate to peddling her ass off on a stationary bike. It did amuse her that the career her sister's cursed self was destined to involved actual torture for paying customers. At least she's not a dominatrix, regina mused to herself.

"What the devil are you doing here, Roni?" An accented voice called out to her, "I pretty well told you to not come by again. Or do you not remember because you were daft from the drink."

Jesus, Regina though, was she that much of a boozehound as Roni? "No, I recall, thank you very much _Morgan_." She said with a dramatic roll of her eyes, "I just am choosing not to listen."

"Why are you here," Morgan stated once again, obviously frustrated with the woman. "You were my best friend, then you convinced my daughter to give up on education and go live somewhere far, far away from her uncool mother."

"Morgan, I didn't," Regina said, "We were like sisters why would I convince her to do anything like that. Come, come have a drink with me and we can try to move past this." All regina had to do was get Zelena to drink the potion and then they could get Alice and get home. After much convincing, Regina followed Zelena into the locker room and they both quickly changed back into normal clothing and regina pulled a flask out of her purse which contained the potion and mixed it with a shot of whiskey (from her _other_ flask) and handed it to her enspelled sister.

"I'd rather have the honey-lavender water," Morgan explained as she looked at the offending drink.

"Nope, you're drinking this and if you still don't want to deal with me i'll leave." Regina urged, "Come on, one drink." Morgan rolled her eyes and took back the shot laced with memory potion. One moment, nothing. Two moment's, nothing… Regina was starting to get nervous.

"You may leave no….." before she could finish her sentence the red haired woman doubled over and gasped. "Oh hell," Zelena exclaimed after she stood back up with a nauseous look on her face, "What is happening."

"Welcome Back, sis."

* * *

Awhile later, the sisters and Alice stood in the apartment that Zelena lived in. It had little no hint of Zelena's personality; the young blonde wandered around her fingers tracing the things on the shelves until she found a frame of Robyn. She picked it up and held it against her chest.

"Do you know where Robyn is?" Alice asked as she watched the photo in her hands, "She's not here with you, is she?"

"No, darling." Zelena said as she moved to grab the most recent letter from her daughter. "She is in Mexico."

"How do I get there?" Alice exclaimed, her eyes widening into a panic. She looked at Regina and then back to the photo.

"You can't, Alice. We will get her home. You just have to stay and be okay for a little while longer." Regina said as she put her hand on the girl's shoulder. "We will get her home. Zelena, can she like lay down for a bit?" She asked as she moved to take the sleeping pill Alice had entrusted her with. "Take this, no one will hurt you and then we will figure out what to do about home."

Alice nodded, and took her medication and followed Zelena to the bedroom she was going to sleep in. Zelena came back out, and shook her head. "Well, she's fucked up." She whispered as she moved to put on the kettle.

"Yep, being drugged by Belfry screwed her up pretty good. Plus, you know she's the kid of an evil witch and not-hook-hook… and, grew up in Wonderland." Regina sighed, "It's messy. There's a lot of messy in the new curse."

"Like what else. Who is around." Zelena asked as she watched her sister. The changes in her, how she nervously bounced her leg, how her style has changed so drastically and how she simply seemed lost. "

"Henry, he's grown. It's so strange, I don't understand time in this new place since we came back from the Enchanted Forest. The woman he met and evidently has a daughter, she's 8… Not-hook-hook is around and Gold… Ruby popped up a few months ago…" She said trying to move on from the wolf that she had no idea how to define her relationship with. "Everything is just very confusing, Zee."

"Understandable, do you have any idea why this is happening?" Zelena asked as she watched Regina move around making them tea. "What is happening, are you taking as many drugs as my Daughters beau?"

"What?" Regina replied incredulously, "Nothing."

"Sure," Zelena said as she took her drink and didn't miss the whiskey that went into Regina's. "I'll call Robyn and maybe we can convince her to come home and figure out how to bring back my daughters memories."

"We need to figure out how to break the curse." Regina said as she took a long sip of her tea.

* * *

 **Rose: Everything was fine at the bar tonight. Thank you for the gift, I really love it.**

Regina smiled as she read the text message from the waitress. She rolled over away from her sister whom she was currently sharing a bed with while Alice had passed out in the other. She had taken a xanax from the bottle in her bag and hoped to fall asleep but it didn't help calm her nerves or the tingles that ran up and down her arms. Her body was crazing magic, she needed it to feel like herself, but she was scared she'd never feel that way again.

 **Regina: I'm glad. I'm hopefully coming home tomorrow night. Will you be at my place?**

 **Rose: Yes.**

 **Regina: Good. Go to sleep, Beautiful. See you soon.**

Zelena looked over at her sister and the phone she was texting on and caught a glimpse of the text to a woman named Rose. She stored this information for later and wondered who the woman that she seeing was.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Sorry, all. Holiday's caught me without a computer while i traveled and then I caught pneumonia. Mending now, so here is an update.**

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

The Drive back to Seattle was long, but more entertaining with Zelena telling stories about she in Robyn in the Enchanted Forest. Some of them included Alice as a young girl, some didn't but the blonde in the back of the car sat with her elbows on her knees hanging off every word the older witch was saying. Regina was listening, but mostly she was trying to figure out how to have what she had with Ruby while Zelena was in town. It had been decided Zelena was going to stay in her spare room, which basically killed the idea of Ruby staying with her or having the freedom to have the girl over.

But, she still hadn't discussed Ruby with Zelena. It was complicated, and going to end up a disaster once Ruby came to remember who she was. She was also too scared to ask her sister about Dorothy, and what she knew of that. Regina didn't want the answer. She didn't need to lose one more person she cared about to another. It was too hard now.

* * *

"Will you leave leave me round my troll?" Alice asked as she stretched in the back of the jeep. She could feel the change in the atmosphere when they crossed back into Hyperion Heights from the real world. She almost seemed to perk up at the tingle of the lingering magic from the spell cast.

"Troll?" Zelena questioned with a raise of an eyebrow.

"It's a statue under a bridge, she's kinda free-roaming." Regina said, trying to be gentle in saying homeless.

"Homeless? she's not staying on the street, Regina." Zelena stopped her with a raise of her hand, "She's just a girl."

"I'm aware." The dark haired witch sighed, "Alice, you'll stay with Zelena at my place if you'd wish."

"I'm not a prisoner, I can go as I please." the Teen said with a huff, "I have things to do."

"Naturally, just sleep inside."

"Doable." Alice said as she quickly hopped out of the jeep as they came to a stop light. Regina just shook her head as Zelena gaped at the action.

"Has she gone mad?" Zelena exclaimed, watching the girl skip away.

"Most likely, she's also the spawn of an evil witch molesting not-hook-hook…. So she may be lacking some judgement." Regina said as she rounded towards her bar. "So, Henry is still clueless… I'm pretty sure Rumple is awake but i'm not confirmed on that and everyone else is still in another reality. And, remember to call me Roni."

"Anything else I should know?" Zelena said as she watched her sister fidget in her seat. They pulled around back of Roni's and parked. "This bitch really hated us. Me a cycling hippy and you a bar wench!" She cackled as she hopped out of the car and grabbing her bag.

"Yeah, Belfry and Ivy suck." Regina said distractedly, "Go upstairs, i'm gonna look into the bar." She said as she handed Zelena her keys and headed into the bar to see if Ruby was in.

* * *

Regina smiled softly as she leaned in the doorway between the back hallway and the front of the bar. She watched Jacinda and Ruby laugh and work together to serve the patrons at the bar as well as in the rest of the room. Jacinda took the tray the Rose had loaded up with drinks and moved to bring it to some of the tables off towards the door. The witch took a moment to watch and drink in the girl that she had been away from for a few days. She wore a pair of shorts over a pair of simple black legging and the _Roni's_ shirt that flattered her lithe form. Her long, dark hair cascaded down over her shoulders, and Regina could see a tinge of teal colouring peaking out from under the layers. She smiled, thinking of how Ruby wore her hair back during the first curse. She pushed herself off the door and quietly crossed the area behind the bar to slide her arms around Ruby's waist.

"Hey," she whispered against the taller woman's neck. She heard a slight squeal with excitement before Ruby turned in Regina's arms and pulled her into a tight hug.

"I missed you." Rose exclaimed into Regina's ear, before she pulled the woman into a quick but wanton kiss. She knew that she shouldn't, not in the bar, but she didn't care in the moment. Regina pulled away with a shy smile before looking around behind them and checking that they didn't cause too much a scene. Lucky, they hadn't. She quickly pulled Ruby into the back and pushed her against the wall. "I need you."

Regina pressed her thigh in between the woman's and claimed her mouth once again, her hands coming to stroke up her body and rock against her. "Stay quiet," Regina growled as she moved to nip at the creamy skin exposed at the juncture of Ruby's neck. The younger woman moaned softly at each roll of Regina's body and grabbed her hand and lead it towards where she needed it most.

"Please," She whimpered, her body overwhelmed by the sensations overtaking her body so quickly.

"Well, sis… I didn't think this is what I'd be coming down too… What kind of bar are you running?" Zelena said with a twinge of judgment and a whole truckload of sarcasm. The voice caused the women to jump, and regina to groan and rest her head for one more moment against Ruby's chest (and to remove her hand that had slipped into the girl's shorts). Ruby was trying hard to not start laughing, she quickly buttoned her shorts, and headed back out into the bar to continue working. "The help Regina, really?"

Regina turned around and pushed her hair back, as she realized that Zelena didn't see _who_ the woman she was was actually was. "Zelena, it's not… wait... " she said narrowing her eyes, "You didn't…. Nevermind, you know i'm not really interested in what you have to say right now." she said before pushing through the curtain and back into the bar.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Nothing about being with a woman was new to Regina, she actually prefer the company of the female form more than any man she's ever been with. Even Robin Hood, who in theory she was destined to be with. She didn't quite believe in all of that crap anymore, not after everything. She tried to go about her work night without dealing with the fact her sister was sitting at the bar nursing a scotch and taking in the fact that Ruby was the woman Regina has just been all over. That Henry had a child, that Rumple seemed to still be pretending to be unknowing of the curse (even to Zelena which was impressive to Regina), and that her sister owned a bar.

"Roni?" Rose said softly as she came behind the bar and put the towel she had been cleaning with in the dirty pile for washing. "I'm gonna head home, and you probably need to talk to your sister." She said as she watched her lover tensely load the sanitizer.

"Why? I'm a grown ass woman and she doesn't really get to mitigate my personal life." She snapped as she kept drying the same glass over and over. Before giving up and pouring herself a whiskey in that same glass.

Ruby reached over and put her hands on Regina's. "You never came out to her, did you?" She smiled, "You're so cute."

"She and I didn't know each other as children… She was adopted and we connected later and never had a normal relationship…" Regina said as she laced her fingers with the younger woman. "She's only known me with men...and it's not really something we've talked about."

"You're not the a timid or shy person," The younger woman said, not knowing that Roni was the antithesis of how Regina would normally handle her personal affairs and would most likely have told everyone everything… But, Regina? Total different story. " Are you scared?" Rose asked, as she stroked her thumb over Roni's hand.

"I don't get scared," Regina scoffed before pounding back her drink, "But, she's going to make it weird." she said with a defined whine in her voice.

"You're cute when you whine," Rose smiled as she leaned in and kissed Regina's cheek. "Alright baby, I'll see you tomorrow… And since you didn't finish me off earlier I'll have to handle it myself," Regina whimpered softly and closed her eyes, "Maybe i'll send you a video if you promise you're not gonna have to many of those." She said as she motioned toward the bottle.

"Woman, you better." Regina growled as she pulled Rose into a deep kiss before watching her head out the door.

"You really like the great outdoors, don't ya?" Zelena commented after Ruby had left, "First the horse boy, then man who smelled of forests, now wolf girl? I heard legend of you and another wolf type back in the day… Someone has a type." She said as she reached over and grabbed the bottle of scotch for herself.

"Have you ever had relations with anyone you weren't using, manipulating or deceiving?" Regina shot back as she filled up her glass again.

"Touche," Zelena remarked as she sipped her drink, "So, you found a wolf… However did you manage to get her from Oz?"

"The wolf found me, thank you…" Regina said as she moved to sit on a stool next to her sister. "I was hoping you had some idea about that… But, I guess you wouldn't since you went back to the enchanted forest with Robyn. I'm trying to figure out how someone who had found their _true love_ ends up back in this realm…"

"You know just as well as I that _True Love_ isn't forever and probably isn't even real." The redheaded witch shrugged, "And she's still asleep? She has no idea about anything?"

"Yeah, and I'd like to keep her safe until we figure how how and why this shit is going on." Regina said after a sip, "She's had four blackouts in her past and I don't want to wake her up just to make her go though that again."

"How sweet of you," Zelena teased, "Are you sure you just don't want her to wake up because you don't want her to remember that bratty fool back in Oz?"

"We don't even know anything about that. Alice mentioned something but she didn't elaborate…" Regina replied as she filled her glass. "I almost wish I could curse myself back into a fog. Things were so much easier…"

"Well seems like you found yourself a coping potion," The redhead noticed as she watched Regina drink. "That's new."

"No it's not. I'm pretty sure we've shared many a drink back home,"

Zelena hummed as she shugged a shoulder, "Let's focus on me instead of your lesbian feels," Which caused the bar owner to roll her eyes, "How do we get my daughter home? What are you doing to do about the maddened teeneager in your apartment and how did Rumple manage to insult me _and_ stay pretending he was _just_ a cop."

"Fuck if I know the answer to any of those." Regina grumbled, "Have you called Robyn?"

"I tried earlier, before I found you wrist deep in the barmaid," the comment caused Regina to nearly spit out her drink, "She didn't pick up."

"Well, if memory serves, she currently hates you."

"Then you call her."


	10. Chapter 10

**10**

 **First Curse, Storybrooke:**

Regina waltzed into Grannies, the sun had been down for hours and it was well past what might be considered the 'dinner rush'. She considered the room while deciding where to sit before moving to a small booth and placing her briefcase down on the bench before working on slinking out of her knee-length jacket.

"Let me help you," a gentle voice said a hand slid the coat down Regina's shoulders before hanging it up on the nearby peg. "It's nice to see you, Madame Mayor."

"Ruby," She regarded as she smoothed out her maroon coloured dress, not missing how the young waitress' eyes followed her hands across her body. "How are you doing this evening." She moved to sit down and look up at the girl.

"Bored out of my fucking mind." Ruby sighed as she slid the menu in front of the mayor. "Grannie went up to bed and left me working until close on my birthday."

"That's tragic," the older women said softly.

Ruby shrugged, "What can I get for you to drink?"

"Can you bring me a coffee and the bottle of that whiskey I like and you don't let the pions drink." Ruby nodded as she moved back to the bar, "Two glasses dear."

Ruby brought the items back and Regina quickly swiped the bottle and poured a measure in each glass, "Sit with me."

"I shouldn't, I'm working and… You're the mayor and I'm technically underage." Ruby stammered.

"Sit." Regina encouraged with a tone that left Ruby thinking she had no choice. The waitress sat and looked at the mayor. "Happy Birthday, Ruby." she pushed the drink towards the girl. "Where I'm from the age of 21 wasn't the legal age." She muttered, thinking of back home in the Enchanted Forest.

"Not like I haven't had a drink before," Ruby mumbled before taking the shot back. "I wanted to go to out to the rabbit hole tonight, but I guess now I'm not." She sighed, letting Regina poured her another. "Are you hungry, Madame Mayor?"

"I'm okay for now, Ms Lucas." She sighed as she watched the girl. "I understand how lonely to be by yourself on your day of birth, but I'm sure you and your little friends will do something soon."

"We will see," She shrugged, sipping her drink. "I'm sure they're already hooking up and drunk."

"Well, that's unfortunate." Regina regarded the girl and sipped her coffee. "You're turning what? 20?"

"Something like that." Ruby smirked, "19, actually."

"Well, now I shouldn't have given you that drink." Regina chuckled as she watched the waitress pound back her third shot before winking at the mayor.

"I won't tell if you don't." The girl headed back to the bar and went about her nightly work and minding the customers who had entered.

* * *

It was early in the morning, she had just finished talking to Robyn her niece. She had found out the girl indeed had her memories back but had been threatened by Belfry and Ivy that bad things would continue to happen to Alice if she came back. So she was nervous to come home even now. Regina understood since she was basically doing the same thing with Henry and Ruby, but her guilt ran deeper since they were both in front of her. She had crept into the spare room and woken the sleeping teen up and handed her the phone and left so Robyn and Alice could talk in private and her niece could explain why she couldn't come back yet. The former mayor-turned bartender headed back to the kitchen and poured herself a coffee, with a generous helping of whiskey, before grabbing her phone.

 _Good morning beautiful, come over to my place after you wake up and_ I'll _make you breakfast and introduce you to my sister._

After sending a message to Ruby she moved to start preparing breakfast for everyone in the apartment. She carefully grabbed the flour, butter and other ingredients she should need for a pie crust and moved to start crafting a pie crust for a quiche. She needed something, anything to keep her mind off what was currently going on around her. Cooking always helped back in storybrooke… and the whiskey seemed to always help Roni… so maybe the combination of both would help the hybrid she had come to be.

* * *

A fist rapped on the door and Regina looked up with a cock of her head just as she finished beating the egg mixture. Ruby had a key… Why wouldn't she be using it? She wondered as she tilted and she whipped off her hands on the towel tucked into her pocket. She moved towards the door and peeked through the viewing hole. It was Rose… but it looked like Ruby. Her hair was down in thick, soft waves and Regina could see a red and black plaid shirt covering her shoulders. She carefully opened the door and let her eyes look at the girl. Black leggings, black boots and that red plaid. "Ruby," Regina exhaled in a near whisper.

"Yeah," the now seemingly awake woman replied curtly. "Would you care to inform me why the _fuck_ I woke up as a whole other person yet AGAIN?" she said in a terse voice. "Are you fucking kidding me with this shit, Regina?"

"How? How are you awake right now?" She asked, "How is this possible, no one here is awake but me and...fucking Ivy. I'm going to throttle that little fool."

"I'm going to _throttle_ you! How could you do this to me again!" Ruby exclaimed as she pushed her way into the apartment. "You know how fucked up this stuff is and you let me blindly go about my life here? A _fake_ life at that! What kinda messed up game where you playing with me anyway? Needed yourself a lap dog, as you'd say?"

"It's not like that… it's never been like that. I was asleep too. I was Roni when we met and when I woke up? I didn't know how to wake you up, or honestly, I didn't want you to have to go through this all again. I wanted you to be happy for a little bit longer."

"That's bullshit and selfish Regina," Ruby yelled, "You wanted to control me."

"Nothing of the sort! I wanted to protect you."

"Well, nothing like a little lover's quarrel to wake up to in the morn." Zelena chuckled as she walked out of the bartenders' bedroom.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"Not now, Zelena." Regina snapped as she continued to return the intense stare from Ruby.

"Shut up," Ruby exclaimed as she glared at Zelena.

"Heel, don't make me call animal control." at the comment Ruby went to lunge for zelena but was caught mid strike but Regina grabbing her around the middle. "Alright, alright."

"Calm down," Regina whispered in Ruby's ear and the girl automatically settled, despite the fact she was livid. "I'm cooking. Sit. I'll grab you coffee and we will talk."

* * *

The apartment was silent save for the sound of the coffee machine and soft sound of bacon rendering. It wasn't until the giddy shreak of Alice realizing Ruby was awake and the tackle hug that ensued from the excited teenager. The two chatted for a bit, Alice caught Ruby up on the happenings with Robyn before turning to cock her head. "I was worried when I left Oz, you got out okay though I guess."

"Yeah," Ruby said, her eyes flickering to Regina with hesitation. "Everything is okay now."

"You know I didn't want to leave it but wasn't safe for me in Oz, or for Robyn given who her mother is."

"I resent that, backwoods fools those munchkins," Zelena scoffed as she pushed her hair over her shoulder. Regina watched, trying to figure out what was going on. Had Ruby been hurt back in Oz? She sipped her coffee, the one that she had put away from the others so they didn't get mixed up.

"It's not that terrible of a place," Ruby sighed, her eyes down casting for a second. "But, yeah munchkins are annoying."

That's when Regina knew something had happened. Ruby liked people and always believed in the best in them. If she was saying that someone was not redeeming, then something was wrong. "What happened in Oz." Regina asked from the kitchen causing Ruby to startle slightly. She hadn't heart the husk of her lover, or Rose's lovers, voice in awhile.

"Leave it, Regina. It doesn't matter." Ruby said and she moved to get another cup of coffee.

"It's important if your girlfriend is going to pop up here and try to kill me, or try to kill Zelena." Regina said as she watched Ruby.

"Dorothy is not here. She won't be trying to do anything, trust me."

"How do you know that? Why would she not want to be here with you? I would be searching the world and all other universes for you if I was her!" Regina sighed as she roughly turned the knob for the bacon off and crossed her arms.

"Regina…" Alice warned from the couch.

"Dorothy is dead, that's why she won't come here."

* * *

"What?" Regina and Zelena both exclaimed at the same time. One side of the duo was gobsmacked with the idea and the other was positively giddy with one of her enemy's being gone.

"Dorothy is dead." Ruby replied statically as she poured her cup. Her face was expressionless as were her eyes when Regina finally caught them in her glance. "No I do not want to talk about it, so just leave it at that."

"Well, I'm surprised I have not heard of this! Did Robyn know? That cheeky brat of mine would have told me." Zelena mused with a satisfied smile, Alice just simply rolled her eyes. The teen obviously did not like the departed hero of Oz, from what Regina could gather from her body language.

"Yes, Robyn knew her; but no we did not know she had died." Alice said, as she cradled her long-cold mug of tea. "I'll never like these cup's for tea, far too clunky these alone would drive a rabbit mad." Ruby weakly smiled at her friends stream of consciousness.

Regina pulled the quiche out of the oven and placed it down to rest. "Ruby, when you're ready to tell me what's going on I trust you will." She said as she worked about gathering dishes for breakfast.

* * *

It had been two days. Two. Full. Days. Since Ruby left her apartment and no words had been spoken since. Jacinda had covered the girl's shifts at the bar and Regina was getting more and more anxious. And, frankly, deeper and deeper into the bottle. On the third morning, Zelena had found her sister passed out on the couch of the apartment clutching a bottle. She was wearing a hoodie that Ruby, well Rose, left. After sobering her up, and forcing some actual food into her sisters body she rolled her eyes at the shell of a person that was left.

"Woman up, and deal with your problems like an adult. Like the Queen you are." Zelena exclaimed as she pulled Regina up from the stool she was sitting on.

"In case you forgot? I removed that part of myself and she's living happier ever after in the alternate wish realm." She spat back as she pushed past her sister. "I on the other hand, despite all the good things I've tried to do, am still here getting shit on by this and all universes."

"I'm pretty sure you and Ruby both have been shit on by the universe... Obviously, something happened to Dorothy but I don't feel like it was a love lost parting of ways and she's the despondent widow. I feel like she knows more about the brat's death and so do you." Zelena pointed out.

"That basketed, tornado travelling brat was Ruby's true love…" Regina said through gritted teeth.

"Well, boo hoo. She's dead and you can love more than once, right?" Zelena replied as she pushed down an unruly curl on Regina's head.

The mayor turned bar owner sighed, "I have no idea what to do." she admitted.

"Go talk to the girl!" Zelena exclaimed as if it was the easiest thing in the world. "I'd take a shower first, you smell like a bloody distillery."

* * *

A few hours, many cups of coffee and a shower later; Regina rapped her knuckles against Ruby's door. She took a few calming breaths as she heard footsteps coming towards the door and then it finally opened. Ruby looked beautiful, even though she had dark circles under her eyes and her hair was tied back in a messy ponytail. Something storybrooke Ruby would never have been caught with. She looked exhausted, but still radiant to Regina's eyes.

"Hey," Regina said, feeling more of her new alter ego coming out because of her own lack of confidence.

"Hi," Ruby replied in a whisper.

"Can I come in?" the older woman asked as she bit her lip nervously and shoved her hands into the pockets of her jeans. Ruby shrugged one shoulder then pushed the door open for regina to come through. She moved back over to the couch she had vacated, that was adorned with her fluffy blood red comforter that she simply folded back into.

"I'm sorry this happened to you again…" Regina said softly as she moved to clean up the dishes that were littered on the coffee table. "You didn't deserve any of this. I don't even how how you got tangled up with all of this crap in the first place. How you ended up here.."

"Stop cleaning," Ruby said causing the other women to nearly drop a glass. The simply nodded towards the armchair in the living room and regina complied. "I left Oz and was in the enchanted forest when it all happened I think. I was trying to find Mulan or Alice; But, I found Zelena's farm but I was a wolf so I didn't approach."

"That was you?" Regina asked with a raise of her eyebrow, "Robyn said she thought a wolf was around the field."

"I was hoping Alice might have been around but then everything went black…" Ruby sighed, "I couldn't change forms and Mulan or Alice would have been able to help but then I don't remember anything. I just woke up here and I was confused as fuck and in this body again, and evidently fucking you."

Regina winced, "I guess I deserve that. When we met I just was Roni, a drunk bartender who liked to flirt. Then I met you, something felt good about being with you. Felt normal when everything else felt so on its side."

"Why didn't you wake me up when you did?" ruby asked as she finally looked up to Regina with her big questioning brown eyes brightened with tears. "I've forgotten who i am so many times, Regina. I don't think I know how to be who I used to be anymore."

"I couldn't. Ivy has a curse on Henry and he will die if I wake him up." Regina whispered, "I can't lose him… And, I didn't want to lose you."

"Regina…"

"No, it's okay. I know you were cursed and it's not going to be like that anymore. I know I have no right to wish it could be. Not after everything I did back home… Not after storybrooke… Not after you found your way in Oz. I've not deserved to spend anytime with you."

"Shut up," Ruby said curtly, "Just shut up, you have always been a special kind of stupid haven't you?"

"Pardon me?" Regina said, her shoulders arched as she raised an eyebrow.

"You do not understand people or emotions. Or, anything really." Ruby explained, "I'm so tired of everyone telling me _how_ to feel about anything. How about you ask me or here let me just tell you. Yes, it was surprising as fuck to wake up with you as my lover… but, it also wasn't. Do you remember flirting with me on my 19th birthday at the diner? Or how you spent my birthday with me when we got sent back to the enchanted forest after peter pan? Or when you gave me a key to your place a few weeks ago? Regina we've been drawn to each other for awhile, like it or not. Yes, you tried to kill Snow. Yes, we were evil. You're not now. I've seen evil. You're not it."

Regina let out the breath she was holding and carefully moved to kneel on the floor in front of Ruby and cautiously put her hands on the little woman's knees. "I'm sorry if I hurt you. I never wanted or want to do that to you. I care about you more than I ever thought possible."

"I know you do," Ruby whispered as she brought a pale hand up to cup the bartenders cheek. "I know you wouldn't hurt me and mean to do it."

Regina's eyes fluttered closed at the touch she had come to crave, "Ruby," the younger woman simply leaned down and kissed her so gently that Regina thought she had dreamed it. "I missed you."

"As did I," Ruby replied softly before tugging on her hand to join her on the couch. Regina got the hint and moved to sit under the blanket and let Ruby cuddle into her and lay her head in the woman's lap. Regina smiled softly and tugged the hair tie out of the dark tresses so she could rake her fingers through them. After several silent minutes regina spoke again.

"What happened in Oz, Ruby."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

 _It was before daylight had broken over the mountains surrounding Oz. She had left last night after hearing loud screaming from the floor that contained Dorothy and Ruby's bedroom. She sat out with her eyes pointed towards the sky to catch the last of the starlight mixing with the sound of the birds waking up. She was worried about her friend, she didn't fancy Dorothy. She couldn't understand what Ruby saw in her, and every moment she spent with the couple made her miss her own soulmate evenmore. Robyn was in the Enchanted Forest with her mother and Alice was currently running from that world since her biological mother had surfaced. She sighed, as she swung her legs off the log she sat on not hearing the soft steps coming up behind her._

" _You're up early," Ruby said softly as she climbed onto the log with the girl she thought of as a younger sister._

" _Didn't go to bed," the girl replied as she looked over to the wolfe, noticing that Ruby's hair was vailing her face, which was unuseal for her in this realm. "You didn't braid your hair…"_

" _Oh, yeah… I guess I didn't. I had a headache, no big deal." She shrugged off the comment, "Where you up talking to Robyn in the mirror?"_

" _No, Ruby," Alice looked over at her, "You and Dorothy were fighting again… It was loud and I don't like loud."_

 _Ruby swore under her breath, "I'm sorry, we had a disagreement and I didn't mean to keep you up. It's quiet now, you should go rest."_

" _I don't like how she yells at you."_

" _I didn't do something, it was my fault." Ruby replied quickly, her fingers nervously tugging on each other. "Sometimes I forget how hard it is here and forget to do things I didn't have to do in Storybrooke."_

" _Doesn't mean she should treat you like that." Alice whispered, "I'd never treat Robyn like that, nor she me."_

" _It's different when you're older, Al." Alice looked over, hoping this was not true. But, the first light of dawn shown against Ruby's pale features highlighting the burgeoning coloured marking around her left eye. Alice saw the noticeable red, turning purple marking which matched the one on the girls wrists._

" _Ruby!" She shrieked as she jumped up to inspect the markings only to have Ruby shrug her off. "She hit you?"_

" _Don't worry about it, Alice… Maybe we should look into finding you a way to get back to Zelena and Robin or your father. I think Dorothy and I need some time alone." Ruby said sharply, knowing that her wife was having issue with the girl being around and now that she saw the injuries. "I have a few magic beans. Let's get you back to your girl…"_

* * *

It was raining, which wasn't surprising for Seattle, but today it felt like it was caused by the mood of the entire cursed neighbourhood of Hyperion Heights. Ruby sat curled up by the window in Regina's apartment nursing a mug of tea and staring out the window.

"It's nice being back in this world in this sopping weather, eh?" Zelena said as she watched the woman.

"Yes," Ruby said without much effort.

Zelena rolled her eyes and went to close the door to the room Alice was currently napping in. "God that child sleeps often enough."

"She doesn't like the night, when she lived with me she would sleep most afternoons and be up the night. Something about being safer." the wolf replied, "Wasn't she like that when she was in the Enchanted Forest?"

"She didn't live with me! She's manhandling my child, she lived with _Nook_ during that time or a tree house at one point." Zelena mused as she moved to the couch.

"I sent her to you to be safe! Did anything hurt her? You should have protected her."

"She's not my child," the witch snapped, "She was fine. If you wanted her safe you could have kept her."

"She wasn't safe," ruby yelled, "No one was, not in that house. Not in Oz!"

"Happily ever after didn't come with the human tornado, eh?" Zelena chuckled, "Why am I not surprised. She was rotten from a child."

Ruby snapped, she lunged at Zelena with a guttural growl and landed with a push against her chest causing her to hit the floor. The older woman tried to fight her off, but Ruby's strength was unmatched. Zelena thrust her palm up against Ruby's cheek causing her to cry out in pain. At the noise Alice rused out the bedroom and grabbed Ruby by the waist and pulled her back. Ruby sat on her heels and growled, her eyes nearly glowing which was one of the only things that caused a hint of fright in Zelena. Somehow, in a city with no magic she knew of, the wolf was ready to come out.

"Regina!" Alice yelled out as she tried her best to keep Ruby away from the witch. "Help!"

* * *

Regina damn new flew up the stairs to her apartment not knowing what to expect. She flung the door open and saw a sight. Zelena was behind the island with what looked like nail marks down her neck, Ruby had the makings of a black eye and a bloody nose, and Alice was holding peace between the two of them, or at least trying.

"What in the hell!" Regina cried out and was received by fast-past yelling coming from her lover and then her sister. She saw Ruby lunge again and she interviewed by getting in her face. "Stop it now." Ruby just growled again and glared over her shoulder, "Go into Alice's room and I will bring you ice. Zelena, go into my room...NOW"

Both women go slowly to their corners and shit the doors. Regina moved to grab a bottle of whiskey from the top of the fridge and three glasses and poured a single for two of them and a double for herself. She slammed the double, before pouring another. She left it before going and grabbing a bag of peas from the freezer and wrapping it in a tea-towel. "Did Ruby punch Zelena? Do I need one for her too?"

"No, just pushed her to the floor and scratched her." Alice replied watching the bar owner move around the kitchen. "Might need some cloth she was bleeding a tad." Regina nodded and grabbed the first aid kit from under the sink. "Okay, take this drink and peas to Ruby and tell her i'll be right in. And i'll check on Zelena," Regina tucked the kit under her arm and picked up the two glasses and headed to her bedroom.

"Finally," Zelena groaned as Regina came into the bedroom.

"Shut up," Regina said curtly as she sat on the bed and handed her one of the glasses. "Drink that and hold your hair back. Ruby scratched you."

"That bitch could have rabies,"

"Do you want a black eye to match Ruby's? I can make it happen." She said before wiping the nail marks with a cleaning pad, which caused the older witch to wince. "What did you do to her to cause her to go wolf."

"She was up my bum about not letting Alice live with me and Robyn," She said as she sipped her whiskey, "I sad why didn't she just keep her in Oz, and she got pissy saying Oz wasn't safe."

Regina roughly bandaged her sisters neck and grabbed her own drink and headed to the door. "Just leave her alone okay?"

Regina sighed, and downed her drink with a stop to refill, before heading to the room with Ruby in it. She brought the bottle with her to give to her girlfriend, she pushed the door open and saw Ruby laying on the bed and Alice holding the bag of peas and softly babbling some nonsensical tongue twister. "Thanks Alice," Regina said with a weak smile, "Can I have some time with her?" Alice checked with Ruby who simply nodded and left the room. Regina moved to sit on the bed with her lover, she removed the bag of peas and checked the damage. "Doesn't look horrible," She said softly before leaning down and kissing the swollen cheek, "Still beautiful."

"Don't" Ruby whispered as she closed her eyes at the gentle touch. "It's not that big of a deal."

"You have a black eye and you're wrists are messed up from them holding you back. I can feel the anger and magic vibrating off you, which I have no idea _how_ that's happening…" Regina said as she moved to check the pale wrists laying on the bed. "You're hurt... It's a huge deal."

"It's my fault, I snapped… Zelena is… trying,"

"That is correct, but you are correct she's a pain in the ass," Regina smiled, as she pushed a curl behind Ruby's ear. "But, this is not your fault." Ruby just shrugged, seemingly not phased by anything that had happened. "Ruby, why are you so okay with getting in a fistfight and getting hurt?"

"It's just a black eye… I've had them before." Ruby admitted, "It's nicer to have ice when I do have them."

"What are you talking about."

"Regina, you're not stupid stop pretending that you are," Ruby said bluntly, "Oz sucked for me,"

"What did she do to you, Ruby?" Regina pressed her hand moving to rest against Ruby's stomach as she laid behind her.

"She hit me…" Ruby whispered, "She beat the crap out of me, she broke my ribs, my wrist once, trapped me in a trap once when I turned into my alter ego when she was hitting me… It was a real fun time in Oz with my _True Love…"_ her words were biting, but as she spoke tears fell from her eyes. She turned and buried her face in Regina's chest and curled into her body.

"I would have come and helped you, I would have come; Ruby." Regina whispered into her hair as she ran her hands over Ruby's back, trying to give her any strength that she had.


	13. Chapter 13

**Roni's 13**

Regina simply held her lover in silence, or as silent as the sobs could be. She ran her fingers though ruby's hair until the girl fell asleep. She had learned a lot about the life that Ruby had in Oz in the years she spent there. She heard about the nicer times in the beginning but how it quickly changed. How Ruby had been so upset when Mulan left Oz, the warrior had become Ruby's only friend in Oz. Dorothy had an entire realm loving her, thinking of her as a hero, while the wolf was still someone to be feared. Regina learned that Mulan was basically forced out because she wasn't a munchkin and no one trusted her. Ruby became more and more isolated and alone in Oz. Dorothy gained more power, and Ruby made herself small and took a potion to repress her wolf side. Regina listened to her lover, and let her tell parts of the story before the girl fell asleep.

After awhile, Regina pulled herself from the bed and tucked Ruby into the blankets pushed aside on the bed. She grabbed the bottle of whiskey, and she kissed her temple and turned off the overhead light before leaving the room. Alice was sitting on the couch with Zelena, who had a suitcase next to her, Regina raised an eyebrow.

"I'm going to get my child," Zelena stated as she pushed back her hair over her shoulder, "Before you say anything, I could give a flying monkey about this curse. I want my child here and I'm going to get her to protect her from this."

"I'm going with her," Alice said, "I used your credit card…"

"You should have asked, Alice." Regina sighed before pouring a drink from the bottle. "But, you should go and get her. Bring her home."

Zelena simply nodded before she went around continuing to make arrangements, Alice watched regina and moved over to stand by her in the kitchen. "Do you need anything? I'll give you some money and help you pack. You have some of Ruby and I's old clothes here right you can take?"

Alice just nodded and looked over to the guest room door then back to Regina, "Is she okay? Did she tell you?"

"She told me some.." she replied as she reached for her wallet and fished out some cash for Alice and put it in a small zip top bag. "About Mulan, about Dorothy hurting her… I still don't know how she died or how Ruby left Oz, but I know enough."

"I couldn't keep watching her get hurt and take the poison to keep her wolf away," Alice sighed as she accepted the money. "And, Dorothy hated me. I didn't even do anything."

"I know, she was evil." Regina smiled weakly as she touched the girl's shoulder. "You're gonna go with Zelena and get your girlfriend home, okay? DOn't worry about Ruby, she's gonna be okay. No one will ever hurt her or any of you all again." Alice nodded and uncharacteristically pulled the older women into a hug. "Oh okay.." Regina said awkwardly as she hugged the girl back before pulling away to get the girl packed.

* * *

It had been hours since Ruby fell asleep, and only an hour or so since Zelena and Alice left for the airport to go get Robyn. She was in her kitchen making a simple dinner of roasted potatoes and she had a steak ready for a cast-iron pan once Ruby was awake. She turned to toss a arugula salad; when Ruby emerged from the bedroom looking very tired despite her long nap.

"Hey, I'm just working on some diner for us," Regina said as she poured Ruby a glass of iced tea and slid it onto the island.

"Thanks," Ruby nodded as she took the drink and slid onto a barstool at the island. "I'm starving, but why is it so quiet in here?"

"My sister decided to go get her daughter and bring her home," she said as she moved to put the cast iron onto the stove. "Alice bought, or I suppose, I bought her a ticket to go with Zelena to find her partner. I couldn't handle the pouting of that girl as she waited for Zelena to bring her home."

Ruby just chuckled as she sipped her iced tea, the older woman rounded the island and was welcomed to stand between her legs. Ruby placed her hands on regina's hips and looked up as the bartender moved to carefully inspect her face after the injury earlier. "Swollen, but still stunning." She whispered as she leaned down and kissed ruby's lips. Ruby smiled softly and stroked the olive skin of her lover's face.

"I love you," Ruby whispered, it sounded almost painful for her to say in the moment but she pushed it out anyway.

"I love you so much, Ruby. I'm so sorry you're going through all of this pain right now," Regina said, "I'm going to make sure no one ever hurts you again." she kissed her softly before pulling away. "I'm making steak so let me get that on now, then I do have to go to work."

"I think i'm going to stay here tonight and sleep some more," Ruby replied before checking her phone, "I don't really think that the black eye and swollen wrists do anyone good."

Regina nodded as she put the steaks in a hot pan and checked on the potatoes in the oven.

"Will you tell me what happened before you left Oz?"

Ruby groaned softly, "It got so bad, with her, that the potion I took stopped working." she said though a few breaks to carefully craft her words. "When the wolf broke though… I was so weak and sickly, that I couldn't function or try to overcome it to turn back into Ruby."

"What did she do when you changed?" Regina asked as she flipped the steak, "Did… Ruby, did you?"

"Kill Dorothy?" She asked bluntly, "No, I could bairly lift my paw let alone attack." she moved to grab plates from the cupboard and placed them down next to the cutlery. Regina moved the steak to the cutting board to rest before pulling the potatoes out of the oven. "She tied me up outside."

"She what?"

"Tied me up to a tree," The younger woman explained as she grabbed a beer from the fridge and poured Regina a whiskey. She didn't love the drinking her partner did, but she knew that regina was trying to hold back the feelings she had about what Ruby was telling her. "Once my strength came back enough to chew through the rope I was able to escape, I did."

"Where did you go?" Regina asked as she roughly sliced the rare-cooked meat and tried to remain calm though Ruby's disclosure.

Ruby put potatoes on plates followed by salads, "I found a witch in the forest, she helped me heal enough to get to the enchanted forest. I was the wolf, Regina, for months."

The bar owner finished plating up dinner before beginning the plates to the coffee table in front of the couch and Ruby followed. "You changed when we ended up here, back to your current form?"

"I think so," the wolf shugged, "I'm not sure, I'm obviously not a wolf now… But, I know I was still the wolf back home. Maybe, it's something about the magic here?"

"Or lack there of?" Regina muttered as she sat down with Ruby to eat. "We will figure it out. I promise. Are you missing any more time? Did you see Dorothy again before she died? How did you find that out?"

"The witch told me," She replied, "I don't really remember… I didn't see the body, I couldn't go back in the condition I was in. The witch said she had caught me after breaking free and I… I attacked her."

"Wait," Regina said as she watched Ruby and processed what she had just learned, "You never _saw_ her dead? You only have the word of a witch and no one else that Dorothy died from the wolf…"

"I killed her," Ruby said with a self deprecating sigh, "My heart must be black as coal."

"One, you were the wolf and you had been hurt," exclaimed the older woman, "two, you have no proof of this. What if she was lying. What if Dorothy is here?"

"Regina…"

"No, Ruby...I don't think you did what you think you did." She got up and started pacing the room.

"You mean… She's going to be here and wake up if we break the curse?" whispered the younger girl, "Regina…"

"I know… It will be okay. No one will hurt you." Regina said as she gathered Ruby into her arms.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

The sun was just peeking out into the pre-morning sky, leaving Regina's bedroom in a soft amber glow from the street lights. She had left Ruby tucked in an oversized blanket watching a movie as she headed to the bar to work, when she returned she found Ruby in her bed devoid of the clothing she had been wearing all day. Regina quickly showered off the stench of stale beer, and maybe the whisky she had drank, and crawled into the bed after drying off. Ruby instantly stretched her long limbs out and yawned;

"You're home," she murmured as she curled into Regina's form. "Missed you,"

"I missed you too," Regina whispered before kissing the younger woman's temple.

Ruby's eyes scrunched up, but didn't open. "Something is turning me on about you?"

"Hair is wet," regina chuckled softly as she guided Ruby's hand into her hair and watched the girl smile. "Go back to sleep, baby." she whispered, only confident enough to use words like that in the deep night. "I'll still be here when you wake." With that, Ruby had slipped back into a content slumber, one that made Regina wonder how many content nights her lover had in the last few years. If the marred skin and the jarring marks that were only just healed in some places that littered her lovers porcelain skin leg Regina to a guess. Somewhere jagged cuts that had healed over with the bright pink of new skin, and some were scars from other means… Some of them Regina recognized from her own abusive upbringing, some of them were cruel beyond contemplation. Lithe fingers traced over a particularly cruel looking one on Ruby's hip. It looked like letters, but she couldn't make them out. They looked like someone pressed scorching metal into perfect, pale skin; like someone branded her. She of course had seen the marks before. But, Rose just said that she had been in a car wreck and had a bunch of damage from that, knowing the truth made it worse.

Regina could feel the anger rising. She should have helped Ruby, she could have helped her. She wondered how many others knew, and watched Dorothy abuse the one she should have loved. The bar owner slid farther into the bed and wrapped her arms protectively around her lover and slid the blanket over them. She couldn't fix this tonight, tonight all she could do was protect the woman she was falling in love with.

* * *

They had slept all day. It wasn't until three loud voiced flooded into the apartment that Regina blinked her eyes open, and at the moment she didn't care because during the night Ruby had turned in her arms and was resting her head on her bare chest. She felt the girl shift slightly and a cool hand run up the inside of her thighs to the apex of her legs. A soft moan called out into the room as they reached their destination and slowly began to work her into oblivion.

"Darlings we're hom…" Zelena exclaimed as she bounded into the bedroom before covering her own eyes. "There are children here," She called out as she backed out of the room.

"Pretty sure the girl's know how to do this," Regina called after her before capturing her girlfriends lips into a kiss. "Finish quickly," she urged as she turned to have access to her lover too.

* * *

After getting cleaned up, Regina and Ruby entered the livingroom to find her sister joined by her Niece and Alice. "Robyn," Regina smiled brightly before the girl ran into her arms. "You look lovely."

"Hey Aunt Regina," The young blonde smiled as she pulled away from the hug. "It's so weird to see you in a place like this. I kinda like it better than the big ass house in Storybook."

"You should see her wardrobe," Ruby smiled as she watched from where she went to check on Alice.

"Rubes," Robin smiled, "Alice said you were here with my Aunt."

"Yeah," She nodded, "I finally made it home."

"Away from the evil one in Oz," Alice said under her breath as she stuffed a cheeto into her mouth. "She's safe with us."

"And so are you, Poppet." Zelena interjected as she brought over the bag of her daughters clothing towards the spare room. "Regina, I was thinking that Robyn and I could stay in here?"

"Why don't you guys go to my place? Alice can in her room here and you can Robyn can live at mine? I'm pretty sure Regina's not going to want to have to be alone and there's not a ton of space here."

"Alice and I can stay at your place!" Robyn suggested with a grin.

"Over my dead body!" Zelena exclaimed as Regina just chucked, "You're just a girl."

"Mummy…"

"No, Robyn; Alice can stay with me and you guys will see eachother all the time okay?" Regina said as she moved into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. "Now, we have to be careful about Belfry and Ivy. If they know we all have our memories, we're in danger. Alice, as you know your father is still not awake and neither is Henry or really anyone else. Until we figure out how to counteract the curse we're safer in those identities."

"And, we have no surprises coming out of the woodwork," Ruby sighed as she pulled her long hair into a braid over her shoulder.

"She's here?" Robyn asked nervously, "How?"

"We don't know if she is, but I want my powers back before I defeat whatever evil ass coven is running this curse." Zelena replied, "Now girls, some ground rules."

As Zelena worked on her motherly ability to embarrass her daughter and her daughters girlfriend, Regina poured her and Ruby coffee's, and drowned her in whiskey like always. She heard the sigh that came from Ruby's lips as she did but just stirred it and added cream to her lovers before passing it over to her. She shrugged slightly as she looked in the fridge for anything she could make her family for dinner before she had to leave them to go man the bar again that night.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

 _ **(an: for the reviewer who asked about Alice and Robyn's ages. I have no idea what the heck the OUAT timeline has done with ages so in my brain Robyn and Alice being about 18/19. That would make Henry around 35 which feels about right…. Don't get me started on how confusing this whole time is)**_

It had been quiet and cal

* * *

m over the last few weeks. It was enough to put some of the resident's into a lull of security in Hyperion Heights. Zelena and Robyn had settled into the neighbourhood and their cursed identities of Kelley and her daughter. The sisters worked together at the bar, with Robyn helping at the Bar or by babysitting Lucy for Jacinda. Alice remained herself, when she wasn't with Robyn she was wandering the heights and working with her father to piece together the weirdness that as all around the Hyperion Heights.

Ruby was having a harder time shaking off the anxiety of being awake. She kept herself busy with working at the bar, hanging out with Robyn or working on continuing to teach Alice about werewolves (a challenge she started many years ago and had made little headway) and also tutoring her in some basic education. But, she was constantly looking over her shoulder. She had this lingering feeling, especially when she saw Ivy's beady eyes on her, that danger wasn't far from every corner she turned around.

It was midday on a warm sunday afternoon as Regina laid with her head against Ruby's thigh on the picnic blanket they had tossed down near the food truck festival Tiana and Jacinda where working. Of course, as always where Jacinda was so was Henry and Lucy. Her son ran around making sure everything was in working order and helping with sales while Lucy relaxed with her schoolwork close to her family on the blanket. Robyn and Alice had offered to help out for the day, so the younger couple were around the park handing out samples to interested patrons.

"Nana?" Lucy asked softly as she looked up to watch Regina and Ruby for a moment.

"You really need to keep calling me Roni for awhile," Regina said trying to not cringe at the title, "Then we can figure out what to determine to call me."

"Okay," Lucy beamed, "Are you in Ruby in love?"

Both women's head's snapped towards the child and they blinked slowly. "Um… What?"

"You and Ruby are dating right?" She asked and they nodded, "Which means you love each other like forever. The storybook doesn't say anything about princesses being together."

"That's because i'm a Queen and Ruby is another kind of magical creature." Regina said as she took her partners hand into hers from where it was resting on her stomach.

"Really?" Lucy asked, her big brown eyes blinking with excitement. "The book is missing so much. What are you back in the Enchanted Forest, Ruby?"

"Werewolf," She shrugged as she squoze Regina's hand. "But, that book forgot so much of what actually happens back home. Lots of women loved each other as well as many men and people who are not of the genders of this world. It's different back in the Enchanted Forest, it was even more different back in Storybrooke."

"That's so cool," The girl breathed, "Are you gonna get married?"

"Woah, Luce," Regina said stopping the girls question, "You can't just blurt things out like that, okay? Adults have relationships and sometimes they get married and sometimes they don't. I've had that experience and it was horrible and truly i've never really thought about it again."

"To the King?" Lucy followed, "I really need to get my dad's old book and read it…"

"Don't bother," Regina scoffed, "It doesn't tell the truth."

"Maybe, but kiddo marriage is not really for everyone and some groups don't even practice it like you know it. Werewolves for that matter… they are in packs or families and they have a partner and that's enough. It's a bond that nothing can break, like true love you know?" Ruby smiled, "You are just like your dad when he was a kid, you know that?"

"Yes I do," Lucy smiled, "I'm gonna go see my mom, okay? I'll come back with snacks."

Regina flopped back against Ruby and sighed into the feeling of her cool hand slipping under her shirt and resting against her stomach. "Did you ever think about marriage when you were back in storybrooke or the Enchanted Forest?"

"Not really, Granny never really talked about it and then I ate my first and only boyfriend…" The wolf shrugged, "Snow was all about that crap though,"

"Surprising, from a girl whose father had no romantic bone in his body...and a predilection for marrying child brides." She sighed, "I hated him so."

"Understandable, from what I know know." She said as she watched the crowd of people around the park. Her eyes caught the retreating form of a dark haired women, a strong, thick form with a jawline Ruby would know from a mile away. "R...Regina…" She murmured, her pulse quickening. Regina slid off her sunglasses and looked toward where her lover was staring off and trying to find the reason she had gone so pale.

"What?" She asked, "The chick with the dog? Do you know her?"

"It's her."

"Whom?"

"HER Regina!" Ruby hissed.

"Oh fuck." Regina sighed. She had hoped to anything that Dorothy wouldn't have ended up here, but of course... of course she would. Regina turned and moved to straddle her lover, her small hands came up and cupped her cheeks and she looked her directly in the eyes. "She will not touch you. No one will hurt you ever again." She said strongly, her hands cupping the woman's face. "I won't let that happen."

"How can you protect me? I was a wolf and I couldn't keep her away." Ruby whispered as she closed her eyes to try not to let the tears escape her eyes.

"Because, I love you. And, I protect what's mine." She growled before kissing each eyelid. "Magic or no-magic, she's dead if she comes close to you."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

"You saw her?" Zelena exclaimed, her hands firmly planted on the bar as she watched Regina move around. The smaller woman's body language was tense, her shoulders were raised and her jaw tensed every few moments with the grinding of her teeth. She grabbed a tumbler and poured a large whiskey and took it back without hesitation. Zelena sipped her own wine along with her sister, "Where is she now?"

"No idea, she basically disappeared from the park after we saw her." Regina growled, "I don't think she saw us, and we don't even know that she's aware of who she really is…"

"What about the wolf?" the redhead asked, "What if she comes after her or the other girls?"

"Ruby is upstairs watching a movie with Robyn and Alice," Regina said as she moved to duck under the counter and came back up with a small handgun and laid it on the counter. "If that bitch steps near any of us she's dead." The witch said as she finished her drink and moved to pour a new one.

"Are you insane?" Zelena exclaimed as she gaped at the gun, "Where did you get that? You steal it from the Saviour?"

"It's Roni's," She shrugged, "Or mine, whatever… I own a bar, of course I have a gun." The woman's fingers ran over the barrel and she picked it up. "Never really thought I'd need to use it."

'You won't" Zelena said as she carefully watched her sister, "We will figure out another way."

"There is no difference between killing someone with magic and killing someone with this." She said as she looked back to her sister.

"Yes, but it's the fastest way to end up in jail in this world." The redhead replied as she reached over and gently eased Regina's hands back down to the counter. "Now lock that thing up, you're drunk and that's just a pisspoor idea to play with a firearm."

Regina rolled her eyes and did as mentioned and reached for another drink, "I'm not losing her. I'm not losing anyone again."

"I know you're scared, Regina; but getting pissed on drink isn't going to help you protect her. You'll end up shooting someone innocent or getting killed yourself."

"Everyone i've ever loved has died," Regina admitted, "Daniel, Robin…"

"Emma's alive, Henry's alive, I'm alive."

"I never loved Emma, I just liked her and hated her all at the same time." Regina clarified, "It was never romantic,"

"Because she was banging the pirate," Zelena interjected, "You did romp in the sack with her when you got wasted that once,"

"You promised you'd never mention that again," the younger witch groaned, "Just, I can't lose Ruby, okay?"

"I'm not going anywhere," a voice said from behind them, Ruby rounded the back of the bar. She was wrapped in an old, oversized sweater she had found in Regina's closet and leggings adorning her legs. She moved to wrap her arms around Regina from behind and hold the woman close. Regina's eyes closed at the feeling of being wrapped in her lover's embrace and she leaned back against her. They were silent for a minute before she heard Ruby ask from behind her, her voice full of mirth. "You slept with Emma?"

Zelena erupted with boisterous laughter before refilling her wine glass in the dark after-hours bar.

* * *

"I'll have a beer," A husky voice pulled Regina out of her conversation with Rogers.

"You'll have some manners and not interrupt my conversations," Regina grumbled as she slid the detectives drink over to him and moved to turn to the woman who interrupted her. "What did you want?" When she looked at the person she stopped.

"A beer," She said, "Draught if you have it."

Regina pulled a glass out and poured the amber coloured liquid. "You've never come here before."

"Brilliant observation," The woman said with a roll of her eyes as she put down, "I'm waiting for my friend." Regina simply nodded as she looked over to her Niece who was frozen walking in from the back holding freshly washed glasses. Regina moved over and took the tray from Robyn and put it down and grabbed her arm to pull her aside.

"It's her, right?" Regina asked, never having actually met Dorothy in person or seen her up close.

"Yes, where is Red?" The teenager asked as she looked over her aunts shoulder cautiously.

"She's with Alice and Lucy at the Library." She exhaled, thankful that Ruby had offered to take her granddaughter on a day off from school so her mother could work. "They'll be out until dinner."

"Thank god," Robyn said as she watched Dorothy get up and move to the other side of the bar and sit with a strange woman. "Who… Oh hell no."

"What?"

"That's a witch I knew from the Enchanted Forest," Robyn groaned, "I tried to learn magic from her."

"Of course you did…" Regina groaned, remembering the conversation with her sister about her daughter trying to join a coven. "The evil coven?"

"That's the one."

"But, Dorothy's not magic, she's ordinary. Why would she be getting involved with that shit?" Regina mused as she moved to keep herself busy as she kept an eye on them.

"Yeah, but that's Gothel; she's been after Alice too. Go ask Alice's dad, also known as not-hook-hook."

"Rogers will do," Regina rolled her eyes and moved over to find out what he knew about the woman speaking with Dorothy.

* * *

Awhile later, Regina was in the stock room and Robyn was at the bar. Dorothy wandered over to her and put her mug on the counter, "Can I get a refill?"

"Yeah," Robyn hesitated, she wasn't sure if the woman was awake or not. She honestly couldn't figure out who was and who wasn't so she just decided to go with everyone was asleep and cursed to forget themselves. She truly hoped in this case that was true. She grabbed a new mug and poured the beer before sliding it onto the counter. "That's 7 bucks," she said as she bussed the dirty glass. Dorothy fished out money and put it on the counter.

"Does the chick with the curly hair own this place?" Dorothy asked after taking a sip.

"Roni? Yeah, she does." Robyn, "It used to be called just Roni's but my mom and I came back to town and it's now Roni and Kelley's." she shrugged as she moved to start slicing more lemons for drinks.

"Hmm… Roni and Kelley," Dorothy pondered, "Interesting names, what's yours?"

"Margot, with a T at the end," She answered automatically,

"Sure it is…" the dark haired woman chuckled, "See ya around, bullseye." Robyn froze as Dorothy walked away. That's what the woman used to call her in Oz, she was awake. She remembered who she was. Which meant everyone she was sitting with was also awake. She blinked and put down the knife and went quickly to search for Regina, because they were all in more danger than she could even imagine.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

"Did you love my nan in Storybrooke?" Lucy asked as she moved to grab Henry's book from the blanket she, Ruby and Alice were lounging on in the glass behind the Library. Alice was curled up taking a nap in the midday sun, while Ruby rested back on her elbows with dark sunglasses covering her eyes.

"You know she really hates being called that, you may just wanna stick with Roni for now." Ruby chuckled, "But, no… I didn't. Storybrooke was different… I liked her, she was always nice to me which everyone thought was strange during our time under the curse. But, she was nice to me and the curse was good to me and my Granny." The wolf smiled at the child, "Life was hard for me in the Enchanted Forest and I liked being in Storybrooke, even after the curse broke."

"You were friends with Snow White? You helped her hide from the Evil Queen?" Lucy asked as she held up a page with Ruby and Snow hiding from black knights.

"I haven't thought about that in a long time… but yeah, Snow was my friend and accepted me for me and that was pretty cool. But, things changed when we were in Storybrooke, she had her husband and daughter back. Then they had Neil… It was just a lot and I didn't really have many people around me so when I could leave I did."

"To Oz…" Lucy asked, flipping the pages to one that showed her waking Dorothy up from her sleeping curse. "With your True… Wait a minute."

"She wasn't her true love," Alice mumbled as she blinked her eyes open, "Your father is a fool to think that."

"No he's not!" Lucy countered as she glared at the older girl. "He wrote the book, the book is never wrong."

"That book has been plenty wrong, the book tells only part of the story," Alice said as she stretched her arms above her head and yawned, "Doesn't tell everything. Like my story, or Red's, or Regina or my Papa's… Everyone's story is more than what's on that page. I might not know much about true love, but I know it's not to hurt someone."

"Alice, she's a kid… leave it alone." Ruby said softly as she smiled weakly to her younger friend. "Now, put that away. I told your mom you'd work on your reading for school and Alice, you promised you'd try to focus on that workbook."

"I don't think I need to understand this maths stuff, I learned it in my tower" Alice pouted, "It's not important like gardening or painting."

"It is, if you are going to stay in this world." Ruby replied as she moved to help Lucy find her school book. She didn't see Robyn running up the sidewalk and over to them. She finally stopped out of breath at the blanket.

"My heart!" Alice swooned as she jumped up to kiss the other girl's cheek, "You're breathing hard, did a goose chase you?"

"We gotta go. LIke now." Robyn puffed as she tried to catch her breath. "Get your stuff, let's go." Ruby nodded and packed up Lucy's bag quickly.

Lucy look confused as she jumped up and gathered the blanket up with Alice, "What's going on? Is my mom okay?"

"Yeah kiddo, it's not a big thing we just got to get back to Aunt Regina's." Robyn forced a smile as she looked at Ruby, who knew that this wasn't good.

"Where's Regina?" Ruby finally answered as she ushered everyone over to Regina's jeep and everyone piled inside.

"She's finding Gold," Robyn explained, "My mom's at the apartment, they closed up the bar for the rest of the night." Ruby exhaled and nodded, she knew that this was more than just Dorothy. She knew that she had endangered everyone she cared about.

* * *

 **(Flashback sometime in storybook, Robin has left with Marion to New York)**

 _Since the hesitant friendship Regina had formed with the women of storybook; they had invited her every time they headed to Rabbit Hole, and she never accepted… Until tonight. Henry was with his grandparents and she was alone. Painfully alone, she mused as she parked her car next to Grannies. She checked her reflection once more before getting out of her car. It was nearly ten, which means everyone would have been at the bar for at least an hour before she arrived. She planned it that way, Belle will be buzzed enough to not be annoying; Emma will have had enough of the swill she drinks to hopefully stop looking at her with those sad eyes; and Ruby… Well Ruby would be stalking her prey for the night. Luckily, Snow would be home with her grandson and her own son so she wouldn't need to worry about that. She began walking down the alley towards the venue she was headed when she heard her name, followed by the clinking of high-heels against pavement._

" _Holy shit," Ruby smiled as she caught up with the older woman, "You're finally coming out with us."_

" _I'm surprised you're not already there looking for the next body to warm your bed," Regina replied as she kept up her strides. Ruby chuckled at the insinuation, but shook her head._

" _I had to close Grannies tonight," The wolf stated as she let her long legs take quicker strides to arrive at the doors before Regina. She pulled the doors open and winked at the former Queen. "After you, my Queen."_

" _Down, Pup," Regina smirked as she moved to take off her coat. As she did so, she revealed a form fitting black leather and hunter green colour-blocked dress, that was much shorter than she would ever wear in the light of day. Ruby followed suit, revealing her own attire of painted on red dress. Regina's eyes searched the room and landed on the tables with Emma, Belle, and a few other people that the former Queen only vaguely knew the names of. She moved to the bar and ordered herself a whiskey before looking at Ruby. "What would you like, Ruby?"_

" _Uh… i'll take a beer," The younger woman replied as she leaned against the bar and regarded the woman. "Thank you,"_

 _Regina just nodded, and followed Ruby to the tables to sit with the group. They all excitedly welcomed Regina, a thing that just a few years ago wouldn't ever be the case, and settled back into their conversations._

 _It was nearly midnight, and Regina as several whiskey's into the evening. Fortunately, everyone was avoiding the elephant in the room that hung around Regina's neck; Robin Hood. He was gone and wouldn't be coming back. Thankfully, no one was dumb enough to bring it up. Regina sipped her drink and listened along to the insights of an inebriated Belle babbling to Emma. Regina was pressed in the small booth sandwiched between Emma and Ruby. It was the last place she ever thought she'd willingly be, but she didn't' mind it. Not tonight. Not when she was craving connection this much._

 _Ruby leaned into Regina, her tequila shots from earlier warming her body delightfully. Her hand slipped onto the woman's thigh which caused Regina's head to snap to her left to look at the woman and raise her eyebrow. The bold hand slipped under the hem of the witches dress and started to rake her nails tantintalizingly against her exposed skin. Goosebumps broke out over olive skin and Regina leaned forward slight to rest her elbows on the table as she shifted slightly, causing her legs to part just an inch more. A wolfish grin broke out onto Ruby's face. It was just then that Emma looked over and blinked slightly at Regina. She was breathing a little bit faster._

" _You okay?" Emma asked as she watched Regina bite her lip slightly and nod. The blonde squinted and watched Ruby sip her drink and continue her conversation with her friends. "You're breathing kinda fast." She whispered as she leaned closer to Regina._

" _I'm fine, Miss Swan," Regina breathed out, biting back a moan as Ruby's fingers got closer to the apex of her thighs. Between the wandering hands of the drunken Wolf and the Saviour pressing against her smelling of vanilla and cheap leather, the witches brain was overwhelmed. Between the whiskey and the sheer loneliness she had been feeling for days, her body was urning for attention. She hadn't allowed herself to indulge in the temptations of the female form since she'd been in storybrooke. She almost missed the Enchanted Forest for the freedom she had in her bedroom. If only for that. Here she was in a world that had more cynical beliefs about sexuality and sex. She was also a mother and couldn't have a revolving door of lovers in her life. The huntsman has been bad enough._

" _Is…" Emma exhaled, "Are you…"_

" _Out with it," Regina whimpered out, and she saw Emma's eyes flutter shut. Ruby looked over and smirked at the situation happening next to her._

" _I don't feel well," Belle groaned, her face looking pained and looking like she was going to be sick. "Ruby…."_

" _I'm so sorry," Ruby whispered in Regina's ear, leaning in and kissing the exposed skin under her ear. "I have to help her." And, as simply as that; the hand that had been every so lightly stroking her was gone._

 _God help her, she whimpered at the loss. Regina's eyes closed and she breathed, once… twice and on the third she opened her eyes and drained her glass. Ruby has quickly brought Belle to the bathroom and left Emma and Regina alone in the booth._

" _Was she fucking you?" Emma whispered after a few beats. Regina rolled her eyes and let her head lull to the side to look at the Saviour._

" _Not yet," She mused as she watched the blonde. "Where is the one-handed wonder?"_

" _Killian?"_

" _There's more than one?" Regina asked with a raise of her eyebrow before taking Emma's shot that she had abandoned in favour of her beer and downed it._

" _I don't know, maybe on his ship?" Emma shrugged as she watched Regina and licked her lips. Ruby came back out and over the table as she helped Belle walk._

" _I have to take her home." Ruby said ruefully, watching Regina and Emma. "Have fun, girls."_

" _Oh course," Regina rolled her eyes. "Everyone leaves. I should go too…"_

" _How are you getting home, you've been drinking…" Emma said as she followed Regina out of the booth, swaying slightly._

" _I'm not swaying." Regina said as she reached out and steadied the sheriff. "How are you getting home?"_

" _Walking," Emma shrugged as she watched Regina pay the tab and push away the blondes money. Emma just grabbed their jackets and put her leather on and helped Regina into her trench. "You?"_

" _Poofing, as you so eloquently put it." Regina said as the headed to the door and outside into the late-night air. "You could come and sleep in the guest room…"_

" _Uh… okay." Emma nodded as she turned to Regina and reached out to touch her. Regina stepped in and wrapped her arms around the blonde in a bold move and they disappeared into a purple smoke. The next thing she new Emma was at the mansion, she found herself in a room she had never seen before. It was Regina's bedroom._

" _I think you're drunk, we poofed into your room." Emma said nervously as she looked around._

" _True." Regina nodded, as she slipped out of her coat and heels and then her dress was quickly removed. Emma just stood slack jawed, her eyes landing on black lace, garters and a whole lot of smooth skin._

" _Holy shit," Emma breathed, before closing the distance between them and claiming the other woman's mouth with a searing kiss._

 _It was about desperation. Needing the connection and the fact that Ruby Lucas left her aroused beyond compare._

 _But that night, she fell into the Saviour. The allowed the weeks, god years of aggression and need to be connected to another person to pour out. And Emma Swan was a greedy recipient._

 _When the light broke through the morning, Regina sat up on the bed and wrapped herself in the sheet and watched the Blonde dress. They agreed to not speak of the engagement again, for the sake of the sanity of the town. She never knew if Ruby remembered the evening, but she would._

* * *

 _(Enjoy some swanqueen, my lovelies)_


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Robyn used her key to unlock the backdoor of the bar and ushered Ruby and Alice into the venue. They had dropped Lucy off at her own home with the promise to update her later and that everything was okay. It wasn't, but Ruby didn't want to scare the child. They headed up the stairs after locking the many locks on the door and into the apartment.

"Thank God." Regina breathed as her eyes landed on Ruby. She pulled the younger woman into her body and wrapped her arms around her tightly. Ruby ran her hands up Regina's back and placed calming kisses on her exposed neck.

"I'm okay, nothing happened." She whispered, "Baby, i'm okay. I was just in the park with Alice and Lucy."

"She was here and she's awake." Robyn explained as she wrapped her own arms around her own lover. "She was with Gothel," She felt Alice tense up. "She won't get to either of you."

"You can't promise that, Robyn," Zelena explained, "But, we will keep you both safe."

"No," Ruby said forcefully as she pulled away from Regina, "You will protect Alice, and let me and me alone deal with her. I won't let any of you get hurt because of me."

"There is no way in hell you're going at this alone," Regina said as she looked at her lover, "We don't know what they are pulling. We don't know if Gothel has magic here… We don't know _anything!_ "

Ruby sighed and reached her hand out and took Regina's, "I'm not going to let anyone hurt any of you."

"We should protect my papa," Alice said after a moment. "Gothel may try to hurt him…"

"We need to wake everyone up." Regina sighed, "We have to wake them up to fight Gothel's evil hell coven."

"How?" Zelena asked as she watched the emotions play across her sisters face. "How will we do that, we're are magically impotent here."

Regina brought up her hand that was not holding her lovers and closed her eyes, she focused on the feelings of anger and worry for her family. She focused on the rage the felt, but couldn't release. She thought of how lonely she was for the years before she went to Henry in the Enchanted Forest. How she had watched everyone in her life find their happy ending, while she continued to have her heart broken. How if she didn't find her magic she might loose Ruby forever. With that, a tiny spark, the smallest flickers of hope erupted in her hand. She focuses and took a breath before a weak, but present fireball showed into her hand.

"Not entirely," Regina said smugly as she opened her eyes slowly and watched the fireball continue to glow in her palm. "We just need to find it."

* * *

The day had been filled with Zelena and Regina working to harness the magic they had. It wasn't much, this world worked different than the Enchanted Forest or Storybrook. It had been decided that everyone would be staying at Regina's apartment that night, despite of how cramped it would be. No one really wanted to part ways when they were all so raw at the idea of another threat coming their way. Regina slipped out of the bed that she shared with Ruby and quietly slipped out into the living room. She smiled at the sight of her niece and Alice cuddled together on the pull-out couch.

She chuckled to herself, knowing that Robyn would end up out with her partner no matter how much Zelena protested it earlier in the evening. Regina quietly moved to pluck her whiskey bottle off the counter by the stove and grab her jacket from the coat rack before moving back to her bedroom. She carefully eased the window open and slipped out onto the fire escape, and closed it behind her. The night air was cool, but thick with something not unfamiliar to Regina's body. Magic. Magic was in the air, which delighted and worried her. Maybe it was lingering from what she and Zelena had been working on earlier, but something told her it wasn't.

She settled into a comfortable position and slid her jacket on, she fished out a cigarette a habit of Roni's she had weaned down to just in moments of high stress. And, an evil coven of witches and your girlfriends abusive ex being in town seemed to be a good enough one. She lit it and took a long drag before moving to take a pull of her whiskey. She was in her own head, trying to figure out how to wake up her son while protecting everyone she loves, she didn't hear Ruby slide open the window until she settled in next to the older witch on the fire escape.

"You're old self would kick your ass so hard," Ruby sleepily muttered as she curled as close as she could to her lover.

"I'm aware," Regina whispered taking a puff of her cigarette. "I think I actually like Roni better sometimes."

"I like both Roni and Regina… I was attracted to the carefree nature of Roni, but Regina? She has my heart." Ruby said softly, "But, I get it. I felt the same when I woke up from Red to Ruby and back… I'm both of them… It's just you have to figure out how not to drive yourself crazy being both."

Regina extinguished her cigarette and sighed, "I don't know how to fix this."

"Gothel? Dorothy? Waking Henry up?" She asked softly as she linked their fingers together and sniggled in when Regina put her arm around Ruby's shoulders. "It's not just on you to fix. We will all help figure it out."

"I won't let them hurt any of you." Regina replied sternly, "I just need to figure it out." She sighed as she kissed Ruby's temple. "Why are you awake anyway?"

"Couldn't sleep." She yawned, "The dreams… you know?"

"I do…"

"I thought you might… I think you understand what it's like...l what I went through with her…" Ruby asked quietly, "Snow… she mentioned things… you know, about your mother."

"Yes…" Regina nodded, "Her and Snow's father were quiet something… Which is why I don't want you to go anywhere near them. They will hurt you because you still feel loyal. You'll hesitate… I won't."

"Hesitate?"

"You won't hurt them… You're loyalty will stop you… That's why I had to have Sydney kill the King for me… Or, when I tried to get Hook to take my mother's heart." Regina said as she sipped out of her bottle again. "Fucking loyalty." Regina threaded her fingers with Ruby's and turned to kiss her temple, "I'm not going to see you get hurt. Zelena and I will get our magic strong enough to protect everyone we care about."

"You should be focused on Henry and his family, not on me.." Ruby whispered as she curled into her lover to be as close as she could. "I'll never forgive myself if something happens to your family."

"You're my family, too." Regina reminded her, "You, Henry, Lucy, Zelena and even those crazy teenagers cuddling on my couch. I suddenly have more family then I know what to do with." She smiled sadly, "If anything happened to you… Ruby, I don't think i'd make it. I can't lose another person I love."

"I'm not going anywhere." Ruby said softly as she looked up into Regina's chocolate coloured eyes. "I'm not going anywhere."


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

 **(Flashback to Oz)**

Ruby pushed the tendrils of hair that had fallen out of her braid back as soon as she put the wood she had been carrying down. She had been in Oz for years, but it felt as though time was moving at a speed that was different than Storybrooke. Jumping through portals and universes leave aging to be questioned, she mused. Plus, she knew her wolf kept her from aging like she might back in storybrooke. She turned to head back to where she had chopped down a tree to bring wood back to her and Dorothy's home, the winter season was coming so the next month or so would be working to make sure there would be enough heat and food.

To be truthful, Ruby knew she would be without Dorothy most of the time in the quaint home in the woods outside of the Capital. Dorothy, in her position of leadership in Oz's police force would be spending her winter months inside the walls of the palace. It was for the best, she would always tell Ruby, that it was safer for the citizens that Ruby stayed in the home to change into the wolf on her own leisure and not have to worry about hurting anyone. While Ruby tried to convince her that she had control, she received a sharp reminder that she was unwelcome in the city. Ruby was happy this year to have Alice around to talk too, while the cold only lasted a few months, it's very lonely without someone else to talk to. She had gotten word from the Enchanted Forest that the girl needed help, needed to go somewhere safe, and everyone seemed to offer up Ruby in Oz… So the teen ended up on her doorstep with a letter from Rumplestiltskin asking for her help. Which was weird enough.

Ruby winced as she leaned down to add more of the wood to her bundle, her body protesting every movement. She carefully lowered herself to the tree stump and closed her eyes and took several deep breaths.

"Are you alright?" A voice called from the path's clearing. Ruby looked up, her hand moving to grab the axe that was next to her. "Woah, i'm just here walking."

Ruby tilted her head and listened to the way the visitor spoke, "You're not from here…"

"Not at all," The visitor chuckled as she came closer. She was wearing clothing that didn't fit the Oz style sense, she looked like she came from back home. "I'm Robyn,"

"Robyn… Did you live in storybrooke? Jesus, last time I saw you… How are you here?" Ruby asked as she looked the teen up and down, astounded how this girl was now fully grown when she was just an infant a few years ago.

"Yeah, my mom and I came back to the Enchanted Forest, and now i'm looking for my friend." The blonde adjusted her bow and satchel on her arm, "I was told she might be in Oz…"

"I'm surprised after your mom's history here she told you to come," Ruby chuckled as she carefully stood up and grabbed her cloak and draped it on before gathering up the final load of wood. "Come with me, I think I know why you are here."

"Wait… You know my mom?" Robyn asked as she followed behind Ruby. "Do you know my Aunt? And, you must have known my father?"

"Yes to all of those, I'm Ruby." She smiled as they headed towards the home. "I was friends with all of them… Well, maybe not your mom… but, I heard she got less intense after I left."

"Not really, just less murderous." Robyn shrugged as she looked around, "I like your dig's… Very different than Storybrooke. How'd you end up here?"

"I was looking for my pack with my friend Mulan… then, met my partner… then she went under a sleeping curse, I went to the underworld with your family, came back and woke her up and that's why I'm here." She smiled weakly as she moved to put the wood on the pile to stack. She would get to that later.

"True love's kiss, I remember from Henry's book." Robyn smiled, "So cool… So, Have you seen a girl like my age around here?"

"Yeah, she eats all my food and annoys Dorothy." Ruby smiled foldly, "She's sleeping last time I checked," She wiped off her hands and led the girl to the door and took off her shoes and cloke and indicated for Robyn to do the same. The girl de-vested and carefully stowed her bow before following Ruby in the quaint stone dwelling. Ruby nodded toward the bed roll near the fire and Robyn's face lit up. She carefully moved to kneel down next to the girl and gently stroked her hair, whispering to her as to not startle her. Ruby watched out of the corner of her eye as she moved to add to the stew that had been cooking over the kitchen hearth. She knew Dorothy would be annoyed at another visitor. She knew that she would have ramifications, but watching the girls, who embraced with so much love, she couldn't care to worry.

* * *

 **A few Days later**

Dorothy and Ruby had gone to deal with a poacher on the land, or at least that's what Dorothy said they were doing after she came home to find Robyn and Alice helping Ruby stack wood a couple days later. She curtly introduced herself before grabbing Ruby by her elbow and pulling her off to the side, out of earshot of the girls. Alice looked down at the ground and slowly continued to move the wood onto the stack. Robyn glared over and looked back to Alice;

"What is that about," She whispered to her girlfriend as she watched out of of the corner of her eye Dorothy's conversation with Ruby. How the woman looked small compared to the the other whose body language indicated everything the words that Robyn couldn't hear must have been saying.

"They fight," Alice said softly, knowing what came next. "She's going to take Ruby away for awhile… Then they will come back after it's dark."

"That's weird," Robyn replied, watching as Ruby came over to them with a hesitant smile.

"If you two could finish this, D..Dorothy and I must go deal with a poacher on the land and we will be back later. Feel free to supper on the hearth...There are extra wools and leathers, Alice knows where they are." She said softly, "I'll be back."

"Ruby…" Alice started as she reached for her caretakers arm, but Ruby dodged it and just smiled. It was a fake smile, that Robyn saw right through.

"Stay here." The girl indicated and she headed off with Dorothy.

After they were out of earshot, Alice grabbed a bucket from the side of the house with what looked like clean cloths. "We need to heat up more water for when she gets back. And, help me find some herbs...I think my supply ran out."

"Wait, what?" Robyn exclaimed as she followed Alice as they moved to the medicinal herb garden that was planted far enough away from the garden with vegetables. "What's happening."

"Ruby doesn't have healing magic and neither do I… She showed me these tricks with the healing grass." Alice indicated as she tried to remember which she needed to pick. She kneeled down and gently plucked somethings from the garden and handed them to Robyn. "She's going to need them to feel better. Hand me some of that root, it's for pain."

"She's going to get hurt? What kinda poacher is it? Against Wolves?" Robyn asked as she blindly accepted the girl's offerings.

"No, for what Dorothy will do to her." Alice whispered, not knowing how to handle the fact Ruby was being abused. She had grown up in a tower. She knew this was wrong, but she didn't know how to stop Dorothy. She herself was afraid of the other woman, and was happy that she was more or less ignored by her. "These will make Ruby feel better."

"She hurts her?" Robyn whispered, looking over her shoulder, "Did she ever hit you? I'll kill her…" Alice grabbed her girlfriends hands and shook her head.

"No, she doesn't but you can't get involved," Alice whispered back, looking around. "The woods have ears and it hears everything…"

"What?"

"If we say something, it will be worse okay?" Alice whispered as she bundled up the herbs, "Inside," She whispered, knowing there may be something listening out in the woods for any conversation about Dorothy. "She has the flowers listening," The smaller girl indicated as she started sorting the herbs by the hearth.

"This isn't Wonderland, the flowers don't listen here… Or do they?" Robyn mused as she peered out of the window.

"I had conversation with a apple tree that was in a bad mood, this place is just as wondrous as Wonderland," Alice replied, "Can you get the water bucket?" She asked as Robyn nodded and moved to bring it in and next to Alice. She crouched down next to them and watched as Alice created several elixirs. "We won't see her until tomorrow morning, she sometimes stays outside before coming home… Dorothy will go to Oz city."

"We can't let your friend keep getting hurt… If my Aunt Regina or even Emma and Snow heard this was going on they'd be so pissed." Robyn growled, not having known Ruby for long, but knowing that being hurt by someone you love is not okay. "You know this is not right, that this is not okay for Dorothy to be doing, right?"

"Yes," Alice said as she looked up from what she was doing, "But, Ruby said to not get involved…"

"I don't think that's a good idea…" Robyn whispered, as she reached for her lovers hand. "It's not safe for any of us here then."

"But, Ruby has been good to me. She's my friend." Alice replied, "She doesn't have any friends here now that Mulan went away."

"Let me talk to Ruby okay? When she's back." Alice said as she helped clean up from the making of the potions and items for Ruby. "Come." She whispered as she pulled her girlfriend towards the bed roll and snuggled into her arms.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 19**

It had been a long day, the bar had been busy. The weather was nice and things were going well in the Heights, well on the surface. The threat of a killer still lingered keeping the police on their toes, as well as a shouded coven and an abusive ex-girlfriend keeping Regina and her community on their toes. After the bar closed for the night, and the cleaning crew came in Regina and Zelena joined Ruby and the teenagers upstairs. Awhile later, after Regina heard the door close and headed out of the apartment and down the stairs, Regina headed into the side door noticing that the door lock had been jammed in. "Hello?" She called out, pushing the door open all the way.

There was a horrible crashing noise of metal against metal came from the other side of the line in the kitchen where she couldn't quite see. "Goddamn piece of _crap_! She thinks she can just leave that easy!" The words echoed in the relative silence of the kitchen only to be followed by another slamming sound followed by a splash. There was a clatter and an oily pipe rolled out from under the line to bump against Regina's feet.

Regina walked around. "The hell?" she exclaimed as she saw her fryer leaking oil onto the ground. "What are you doing? Do you realize how dangerous that is?" she yelled as she reached out and grabbed her girlfriends, ex-girlfriend's arm. "Stop, you're going to get burned!"

Dorothy looked down at the hand on her arm and her eyes snapped up to Regina's for a split second before she backhanded her, her knuckles ripping across her mouth. "Who the hell said you were allowed to touch me? Get your filthy _witch_ hands off me"

"You were going to get hurt, you fool." Regina started, stuttering from the shock of the hit. She wiped her mouth from the blood that gathered there after the blow and spat it onto the floor. "Why are you breaking my kitchen?" She tried to conjure up a fireball, but her brain hadn't caught up to the tinge of magic she had been able to tap into.

"It's your fault, you and your filthy friends." She glared at her, advancing towards her with her hands curling into fists. " _Those idiots_ fault I she left Oz, It's your fault that she's here and not with me!"

"Stop," Regina said as she tried to urge her fireball. "You'll get arrested for what you are doing." She shook her hand as she backed up away from the larger woman. "You were hurting Ruby, Just let her go and walk away.."

" _You_ hurt everyone, over and over!" she yelled, reaching for Regina's shirt. "I never should have let her leave. She's my True Love! I can do whatever I want to Her!"

"No you can't!" Regina exclaimed, "She doesn't belong to anyone and she deserves better than you."

"The hell she does!" She yanked Regina forward, spit flying in her face as she backhanded her again. "She's mine! My property! No one else will ever want the filthy wolf."

Regina pushed her back, her own hands getting a blow of her own landed on the farmgirl, "Stop." She cried as she felt the heat of the bruise on her face.

"You don't get to tell me when to stop," she said, the words coming out in a low hiss as she punched at her again. "You belong to me. You think you're so scary now, _your majesty,_ but you're inothing/i. You understand me? I will grind your face into the pavement, and everyone you care about."

"I'll kill you." Regina exclaimed as she launched at Dorothy, her rings connecting with the woman's face.

Dorothy's eyes widened slightly. "You think you can touch me? That you stand a chance to beat me in a world without magic!" she growled, swinging a fist to catch Regina hard in the stomach.

Regina groaned and doubled over with the force of the punch.

"You're nothing, you understand me?!" Dorothy hit her again, her fist slamming into the side of her face. "You might have be something once, but here? Just an drunk, a useless dyke, a of itrash/i that needs threw away! You and that bitch of a sister."

Her ears rang at the blow and she leaned forward to grab onto the stove to hold onto something so she wouldn't fall over.

"What makes you think she wont turn on you like she did me, that the big bad wolf won't attack you?" she hissed, grabbing the front of Regina's shirt and hauling her up to punch her again. "I hope you enjoyed her while it lasted, you won't be able to find use for her once I'm done. The Coven will take care of the rest of you…"

"She loves me." Regina sputtered as she pushed Dorothy's hands off her and pushed her back and forced the woman into the prep table. Sparks of a fireball coming out of her fingertips.

"Loves you?!" She grunted as her back hit the table, but pushed off. "You? No one loves you! All you and your sister do is ruin lives." She took another swing at Regina.

"You're... wrong." She said as swung a punch at Dorothy, she missed but ended up stumbling on the slippery ground. "Just... Leave her and everyone alone, fly back to Oz!"

"I'll fucking iall of you/i you first!" She yelled, lunging at Regina and slamming her back into the oven.

The smaller woman's head hit the broiler hanging over the stove and her legs faltered nearly causing her to fall. She scrambled to get her balance, her feet slipping against the tile as she could feel blood start seeping out of the gash on the back of her head.

"You're nothing, you hear me?!" her fist slammed into Regina's side, making her ribs give, Regina pushed her palm up against Dorothy's face, her palm pressing upward against her the woman's nose harshly to try to catch her balance. She didn't realize that she had hit her hard enough to cause Dorothy to cry out in pain.

Dorothy stumbled back and slipped on the oily floor, catching her head no the edge of the damaged fryer. Clutching at her broken nose as blood poured down her face, she glared up at Regina before noticing the pipe out of the corner of her eye. "You ibitch/i!" she gasped, spitting out blood as she scrambled for the pipe. "I'll make you pay!"

"Can't take what you dish out?" Regina spat back trying to move into the bar area to grab her gun, she didn't notice the larger of the two women grab onto a new weapon. With the pipe clenched in one white knuckled hand. Dorothy caught up with her just through the doors into the bar, the pipe lashing out to catch Regina's arm with a glancing blow before she cocked it back and swung it as hard as she could into the woman's thigh.

When the metal pipe hit her leg with a loud crack, Regina crumbled to the ground with a blood curdling scream. She sobbed against the ground at the blinding pain that was coursing through her body. At that moment, a bright, white shock of light broke out of the witch's body causing a jolt of electricity to cast up the pipe into Dorothy's body causing her to fall of the ground as well.


	21. Chapter 21

**(A/N; Thanks to the two people who review. It's always nice to hear what people are thinking so shoot a review if you have a second!)**

* * *

 **Chapter 21**

Zelena hit the side door into the kitchen with her shoulder, sending it flying open. "Regina!" She roared, charging through the kitchen and almost slipping in the oil. "What the bloody hell?"

Ruby got through the door only seconds behind him, catching it on the palms of her hands as it bounced back. "She's not in here, try the dining room!"

"I'm _trying_! There's oil all over the bleeding place!" She said, dragging herself through the puddle leaking from the fryer as Ruby took off through the relatively cleaner prep side. Dorothy took a swing at head level as Ruby got through the door, but the woman slipped in the oil and fell just in time, the pipe smashing into the door frame instead.

"You bloody fool, I should have ended you before you had the chance to grow to this!" Zelena hissed as she pushed herself through the swinging door, after she saw her sister's limp body and the amount of blood on the floor.

Ruby scrambled to her feet and made her way to where Regina was lying on the floor, her leg turned in an unnatural way. "Don't move. Don't move, baby. I'm here. Just don't... don't move."

"It hurts." she whimpered. Her body drenched with blood from the several bows since the first. "You're not safe. Run... she'll hurt you."

"Shh," she whispered, pulling a cloth down to wipe away the worst of the blood. "Zelena's got her. Even if she didn't, I'm not gonna leave you. Are you crazy? I love you, you idiot." She reached up and wiped away the tears that were clouding her vision. "God, she messed you up,"

Across the room, Zelena pressed the pipe into Dorothy's throat keeping the electrofied woman in place as they heard the sound of a siren coming from the street. "Thank gods, one of those girl's has a sense to call the police."

"I told Robyn to call Jones and Gold." Ruby said as she held tightly to Regina's hand. "What happened, Regina?"

"She broke the lock." The reformed Queen coughed. "She broke in..." She turned her head the best she could with an obviously dislocated arm and coughed up blood. "Can we go home? I want to leave this place."

"Sis, I think you need hospital… I can't heal you and you can't ether…" Zelena said as she realized that they were at the will of the mortal world. That these injuries, that would be serious but easily fixed back in the Enchanted Forest or even Storybrooke, was not so easily fixed here. "Did you… What happened to her?"

Before Regina could explain the shock of white magic that came from her body that debilitated Dorothy, her eyes rolled back, and her head went limp against Ruby's thigh. "Regina!"

* * *

Ruby rode with the paramedics to the hospital with Regina, or Roni as she had to remember to call her for the sake of whatever. It was nearly an hour before Zelena, Alice and Robyn finally

burst through the waiting room and rushed over to Ruby. The wolf was covered in Regina's blood, which caused Alice to gag and quickly shrug out of her hoodie and shove it towards her friend to cover with.

"Thanks, but the nurse is grabbing me something to wear." Ruby whispered, as she rubbed her hands together. "They brought Dorothy in soon after Regina came in...She's in some kinda coma."

"Woop-de-do," Zelena rolled her eyes, "Where is my sister?"

"She was in x-ray, but they said she needs surgery. Her lung was collapsed so they had to put a tube in her chest, her arm and leg are broken and who knows what else." Ruby whispered, at the moment a nurse came over and handed Ruby a pair of grey scrubs. "Thank you," She whispered before ducking away into the washroom to clean up.

"I can't believe this," Robyn exclaimed, "Regina didn't fight back nearly enough… She's one of the most brutal witches in history why didn't she fight back?"

"My sister," Zelena sighed, "She's confident when she has her words and magic, she didn't have magic to fight against Dorothy's strength. Regina's small, Robyn, she's powerful but that woman hurt a wolf, what kind of damage did you think she'd do to bartender?"

"Will she be okay?" Alice asked softly, looking up to her girlfriends mother hopefully.

"Yes Alice, of course. Regina's gone though more in her life than some silly farmgirl attacking her. She'd never let this take her down." The redhead assured her, and more so herself.

* * *

"Follow me." The doctor said as he headed through the recovery room doors. "She's still fairly groggy and her jaw is wired shut to help it set properly as it heals so she probably won't say much, but she's awake."

"Her jaw? Oh god," Ruby whispered as she ran her hand through her hair. "Her... her leg.. is it okay?" she asked, hugging herself.

He doctor made some notes onto the tablet in his hand, consulting his notes on Roni's condition "Her thigh was fractured to the point that we had to stabilize it with pins. She won't be walking any time soon I'm afraid. Between that and a dislocated shoulder and three broken ribs, she's got down time ahead of her."

"That's going to go over well," Zelena remarked as she rubbed the back of her own neck, "But she will recover?"

"Yes, she will. In time, we didn't note a head injurt but she seems rather confused and disoriented." The doctor replied as he put the tablet down on the nurses stand. "Does Roni have any psycological issues or suffer from dislusions? Has she been dignosed for schiophrenia?"

Ruby shook her head, "Not at all, she must be just confused from everything that happened. Getting jumped in her bar must have been entirely jarring." She said, trying to cover.

"She's perfectly sane," Zelena assured him, "I'm sure it's just the painkillers or whatnot."

"We're going to monitor it and see, but it could just be a reaction to the sedation." The doctor said as he regarded the women.

Ruby took a few breaths to steady her nerves. "Okay... Okay. I just need to see her... Please. Can we go in now" She kept her arms around herself and tried to keep her breathing steady, she was more and more nervous about how Regina would be when she finally laid eyes on her.

"Absoutly, she's on some pretty intense painkills so be mindful of that. She will be sleeping mostly and please, we have a ristriction to two people at a time in the room." He indicated as he nodded to the teenagers hovering a few paces away and the worried faces of Jacinda, Henry, Lucy minglig with Jones and Gold who waited further back in the waiting room. Zelena and Ruby where ushered down the hall to the steril white room where Regina was located.

Inside, Regina looked frail and tiny in the big white bed. An IV dripped fluids steadily through the tubes in her arm and wired monitored her heart rate and blood pressure. There seemed to be bruises and bandages everywhere, but as Ruby came in, blackened eyes opened slightly and a tiny relieved smile curled her lips.

Ruby moved quickly over to the side of Regina's bed. She looked down and smiled a watery grin as she looked into her lover's eyes. "Hi, beautiful," Ruby whispered as she leaned down and pressed a kiss to Regina's forehead. "Have a good nap?" She tried to joke and take the fear away from Regina's gaze.

"Hi," she croaked, her lips barely moving as she reached up with her good hand and cupped Ruby's cheek. "Hurts."

"I know, don't talk so much. You got your ass kicked pretty good... and it's gonna hurt for a bit," she whispered before kissing the plive toned woman's palm. "I'm gonna take care of you okay?"

"What happened?" Regina mumbled as best she could as her eyes blinked lazily, her battered features indicating how much medication she was truly on. She looked confused as she looked to Zelena, her eyes looked back to Ruby then to the redhead.

"Regina," Zelena exhaled as she moved closer to her sister and recognized the confusion in the injured woman's eyes. "Do you remember who I am?"

"Kelley…" Regina blinked, not sure of why her friend was there.

"Oh bloody hell," Zelena groaned as she ran a hand though her hair. "She's forgotten it all…"

"It will be okay," Ruby whispered as she smoothed down unruley curls on Regina's head. "Close your eyes, maybe everything will be clearer after some rest."


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

"We are bloody well finished if she can't remember anything," Zelena hissed as they left Regina's hospital room when the nurses finally kicked them out. "Robyn and I might as well go back to San Francisco at that point."

"Just shut up, Zelena." Ruby exclaimed, "Just stop."

"Well, what's your bright idea, Pup?" The witch countered as she blinked sarcastically at the woman. "She can't bloody well remember us, or herself. She thinks she's actually Roni!"

"I know!" Ruby replied, "Look, I don't know what to do. This is all my fault and she's really fucked up in there because of my ex, okay?"

"That basketed idiot is not your fault," Zelena assured her, "Thank gods she's in a coma or I'd kill her for hurting my sister."

"Yeah," Ruby sighed as she ran a hand through her hair, "I'm going to go follow up with Gold…" she said sadly before she looked once more at her girlfriend though the window of the hospital room and stalked off down the hall.

* * *

Ruby pushed through the officers at the Bar's front door once Gold had given them the greenlight to let her though. Her body moved through the room she knew so well, past the bar counter where she and Regina has had more than a few good times after they had closed for the night; back before they remembered, before everything got so complicated again.

"Walking down memory lane, eh?" The accented man stated as he watched the young woman gander around the room, trying to ignore the shattered glass and droplets of blood. "Such a lovely pairing, you and the Queen are."

"Keep your mind focused on what's important, Dark One." Ruby warned as she crossed her arms and her gold speckled eyes locked onto the man. "What are you going to do about this," she said as she waved her hand over the scene in front of them.

"Well, somehow your lovers cage match caused more damage than we could have originally see," Gold indicated to a confused Ruby. He placed his hand on her upper arm and guided her to see the large pile of shattered glass that had been swept into a pile around the corner from the bar.

"What the hell?" Ruby questioned as she looked around and noticed nearly all the glass behind the bar had been shattered. Glasses, liquor bottles, and mirrors… they were all gone and now in shards on the floor.

"It seems someone found her magic," Gold replied as he watched the girl. "I believe that's why your former paramore is in the state she is… and also," He said as he motioned for another person to come towards him who was in the back of the room.

"Aye?" Detective Jones stated as he pushed through the doors towards the pair. "Ruby!" He smiled, that charming smile that had always spread across his face when he created a friend.

"Hook?" Ruby exclaimed as she was pulled into a hug with the man, "You're awake?"

"Aye," He nodded, "It happened last night,"

"Regina,"

"Your lass seems to have broken the curse… but I'm still unable to go near my daughter." He said ruefully, "I'll never be able to repay you or Regina for what she's done for her."

"Alice is a good girl," Ruby smiled, "A good friend to me. She saved me time after time in Oz."

He smiled proudly at the thought of his daughter being a hero. "Tell me, how is the Regina?"

"She's… She's forgotten… She thinks she's Roni again," Ruby explained, "Oh fuck, Henry… I have to go. If you're awake, so is he! He needs to know that Regina is in the hospital he will be looking for her!" With that the woman ran off towards the door to find her lover's son.

* * *

Thankfully, Zelena had thought to check with Henry once she realized that everyone was now awake. That allowed Ruby to head back to the hospital to check on the woman she loved more with every passing day. As much as Ruby liked Henry, she couldn't get around to becoming friends with the little boy that she spent so much time watching as a child. It was far too weird. When Rose/Ruby first came to Hyperion Heights, Henry was one of the first people she had met. Of course, like any man he had hit on her and of course Rose had flirted back. Now, Ruby felt very awkward about it. Thankfully, she didn't sleep with him; she wouldn't even know how to deal with that… but, seeing him as a grown man is very confusing. She now understand the awkwardness that Snow and Charming had with Emma all those years ago.

Ruby clutched the bag from the pharmacy as she head into the wing that her lover was admitted in. She took a few deep breaths to settle herself as she watched her lover in the hospital bed. She looked so small, Regina had such a powerful presence and stood out in any crowd she was in; but this woman that was positioned awkwardly due to her injuries, tucked into a white hospital blanket. Her dark features, paled from pain and blood loss, reflected against the blankets and Her thin body highlighted by the draping hospital gown. Ruby blinked back tears watching her, knowing she was she reason Regina had lost herself, and everything she had worked for once more.

"You just gonna gawk at me, or come say hello?" A raspy voice called out, shaking Ruby out of her stupor. She plastered on a smile and moved close to the bed and sat on the edge and took Regina's hand.

"Hey beautiful," Ruby whispered, brining the hand up and kissing her palm. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I got hit by a truck," Regina croaked as she watched her lover, "This place fucking sucks."

Ruby blinked, forgetting Roni's prediction to curse much more than Regina. "Yeah it does. Are you in a lot of pain." Ruby asked as she leaned over and kissed Roni's chapped lips.

"I'm high as a kite." Roni smiled, "Not a bad way to get a buzz,"

Ruby sighed as she pulled away, "I'm so sorry you're here."

"You didn't jump me in the bar," Roni replied with a half shrug, "Some crazy chick did, she got it worse I heard."

"Coma or something," Ruby replied, "Don't worry about that okay? You just worry about getting better."

"What's in the bag?" Roni asked as she pointed a bruised hand towards the shopping bad Ruby had brought with her. "Presents?"

Ruby laughed and smiled at the simplicity of her lovers alter-ego, "Maybe," She smiled, "If you're good for the doctors and me."

"I'm _always_ good for you, or have you forgotten?" She smirked, but after a few beats her smile faltered, "I can't remember the last time we had sex… Did, do I have amnesia? I'm obsessed with your body, I remember everything… but I can't remember." Roni's voice trembled with a big of fear. Ruby took her lovers hand again and tried to calm her down. "Rose…?" The use of her alter's name tripped her up slightly, but Ruby reached up and smoothed down Roni's messy hair.

"Shush… It's okay," Ruby whispered, "You hit your head, and you're memory is a bit jumbled." Ruby assured her before leaning in a kissing her gently, careful of the woman's bruised jaw. "We were together just the night before you got hurt. It was in the shower, you're favourite place lately since we have a house full of people." She smiled reminding her lover, selfishly hoping that it would jog her memory and wake her up. "You're just forgetting… You're remember everything soon." She whispered, her hopes of kissing her awake dwindling with every moment. "I love you, R…" she couldn't bare to call her _Roni_ , "I'm gonna make sure everything is okay."


	23. Chapter 23

(Thanks for reviews. Please keep them coming!)

* * *

Chapter 23

Everything was confusing for Roni, she couldn't remember getting attacked at the bar; nor could she remember anything before that. She feels like she was missing months of her life and the confusion and pain from her injury was only making it worse. She looked down at the woman laying gingerly against her body. Her lover was curled up against her; It had been a weird morning. She felt like everyone was tip-toeing around her and it was making her headache worse. Her sister, Kelley, had brought Henry by earlier and she couldn't figure out why everything seemed changed. Rose just kept holding her hand and at some point they both had fallen asleep. Now, Roni was awake and alone while her girlfriend was asleep. She ran her fingers of her non-injured hand though long, silky hair as the nurses flutter in and out of of the room.

"She shouldn't be on the bed like that," One of the nurses remarked as she looked at the couple, "It's not for that."

"Not for my exhausted girlfriend to rest for a bit? Pretty sure she was here all last night worrying her ass off while no one told her how I was."

"She's not a relative." The nurse replied, "Your sister received the updates and she can feel free to share them with anyone she'd like." the blonde woman replied as she changed Regina's IV bag. Roni squinted at her, she had a vague familiarity about her but she couldn't place it.

"Are you finished being overtly homophobic?" She inquired as she narrowed her glare to the woman. The nurse just rolled her eyes and stalked out of the room. Roni returned her focus to the the woman stretched out along her side. Tanned fingers gently traced against her lovers pale cheekbone, trying to figure out why this woman felt so familiar; but also so different to her. She sighed, her eyes fluttering closed from the pain medications and going into a deep sleep.

* * *

Henry paced in the waiting room. His mom was hurt, only she wasn't his mom at the moment. She was the woman who got him drunk night after night. She was the woman that was nice to him and his daughter no matter what. She was seemingly dating a woman. A woman whom he had caught his mother, then bartender, having sex on the top of the bar (that part he would never, ever think about again, and blush furiously when he did); the disturbingly attractive woman who used to babysit him as a child. It was hard enough comprehending the relationship between his mom and Ruby. It was hard to understand why or what was happening… even more since he couldn't have a conversation about it with his mother.

He smelled coffee near him and looked behind him and and saw the lanky former waitress holding two paper cups. He smiled weakly at her and accepted the cup when she handed it over.

"Thought you might need a pick-me-up," She offered with a smile, "Did you get any sleep last night? I know Zelena called you pretty late…"

"Yeah, I was with my family finally… then I heard about mom." He said with a grimace, "I can't believe I was celebrating while she was getting assaulted."

"Henry, she'd want you to be celebrating. She'd want you to be happy, and smiling;" Ruby replied as she put her hand on his arm. She had deep, dark circles around her eyes. The florescent lights of the waiting room did little to hide her pale parlour. Her long, long hair was tied up in a messy bun and she had what looked to be a t-shirt of a 80's metal band under a hoodie. She took a long draw from her coffee and ran her hand to her neck to try to work out a kink.

"Have _you_ slept?" Henry asked as he watched the woman.

She simply shrugged, "Maybe 45 minutes when I was in with her, then some insanely hateful nurse kicked me out."

"Why?"

"Homophobic? Maybe Regina gave her shit back home or even further to the old world… Who the hell knows." Ruby sighed, "They'll let you in soon if you want. Just, she still thinks shes Roni…"

"Ruby what happened? Like, how did she lose her memory right when everyone else regained theirs? Why did she get hurt?"

"Zelena didn't tell you the situation?" Ruby groaned before going to sit down in one of the chairs, "Um… You remember my story from the book and after the underworld?"

"Yeah, you woke Dorothy up with true-love's kiss, which makes me so confused about why you're with my mom." Henry admitted as he sipped his coffee. He heard Ruby sigh sadly next to him and he looked over at her, "You can tell me, i'm not the little kid everyone pawned off on you anymore."

"I know that, Hen," Ruby replied, "Look, some stuff happened with Dorothy… I'm not really going to go into it because it's not pleasant to me to talk about. If you want the details talk to your cousin or Alice. But, she was abusive and whatever and I actually thought she was dead when I finally got away and went back to the Enchanted Forest. I was in my wolf skin and I must have gotten scooped up in the curse." She shrugged, "I woke up here and was someone else… again." She paused to take a long sip of her coffee, "I remember thinking I need a job; and something drove me to _Roni's_ … I met Regina, or Roni, and remember being drawn to her and we quickly became friends and then that changed and when we both remembered who we where it… it was scary but made sense you know?"

Henry looked perplexed, "But, you had true loves kiss… How is this possible?"

Ruby just gaped at the man, his wide-eyed innocence and belief in love was adorable as a child, but as a grown man? Not cute in the least, "Henry, I just admitted to you my ex, who hurt me beyond recognition, is the one who beat the shit out of your mom… and you have the balls to ask about true love?"

"You woke her from the curse," He said slowly, as he rolled his cup in his hands.

"You're an idiot. Grow up, Henry, blind optamism is a horrible trait in a grown man." Ruby said as she stood up abruptly, "Also, you should stay away from me. I'm going to go see if you can go see Regina, but if you can't keep your mouth shut and comments to yourself; i recommend you staying away. She doesn't know who you are right now; she wouldn't expect you anyway." With that Ruby stalked off, leaving the man-child in her wake.


	24. Chapter 24

**(Hey guys, please leave reviews. It makes me feel like writing and encourages me that people actually want to be reading this. Thanks)**

* * *

 **Chapter 24**

"I heard you and the boy wonder had some words this morning," Zelena said as she wandered over to Ruby who was sitting on a bench listlessly looking off into the distance. The younger woman looked up and stared blankly at her lovers sister, and she supposed now her friend.

"Henry?" Ruby questioned with a tilt of her head, "Not really…"

"Yah sure?" Zelena questioned, "He seemed pretty upset after you spoke and he actually didn't want to go in and spend any time with his mum."

"He'd probably be confusing to her, so I told him if he couldn't keep his shit together to just go home." Ruby shrugged, "Also, was he always so annoying?"

"Yes," Zelena deadpanned, "You've known him longer than I have but, between us, I can't stand the boy."

Ruby let off a laugh, "You're the worst,"

"No love, i'm wicked." the redhead teased.

"Maybe just a bit," She smiled at her friend, before sighing, "How are we going to get her back?"

"Regina?" Zelena asked softly, "I truly don't know,"

"It makes no sense… Everyone woke up, and she regressed back into the curse." Ruby had stood up and started pacing, "Can… when she gets released, can we just bring her back to storybrooke?"

"Do you actually want to go back?" Zelena asked, "What's there for any of us?"

The wolf signed knowingly, "Nothing… at all honestly. Grannies gone now and I don't have any family. Snow and Charming have their boys and Emma's daughter around and they stopped hanging out with me years ago… I just don't quite feel like I belong."

"You have family, you lupine-fool." Zelena teased, "You have Regina, she loves you; and my child and her daft-lover and of course little 'ol me."

Ruby smiled, "We don't know that I'll still have her once she's back to herself and has Henry and her grandchild." She sighed, "What if he wants to go back to Storybrooke? You know she will go with him."

"I think you're forgetting how important you are to her," Zelena assured her, "She's not going to be leaving you."

Ruby sighed, "We will see I guess."

"Have you heard anything about Dorothy?" Zelena asked, unsure if she even should. Ruby rubbed her face and shrugged. "Nothing?"

"Rogers said she was still unconscious, she has no record here so obviously she wasn't under the curse. I just keep waiting for the next thing to happen. For someone to come after me to finish the job…"

"Do you think she cast the curse?"

"She doesn't have powers, so she would have had to have help doing so… but, I don't know. I'm not sure what the heart of the things she loved most would be, you know?" Ruby replied, "I should figure that shit out."

"You focus on Regina, let me and Rumple figure out the magic. I need my sister back and I believe you might be the one to fix her." She admitted ruefully, She grabbed her purse and moved to stand. "It's going to be okay, everyone will be okay."

"Thanks, Zelena… Really," Ruby replied, "I'm gonna go see her now."

* * *

Regina laid watching the monitor move steadily with each passing heartbeat. She sighed, the rhythmic noise wasn't doing much to soothe her body and mind. Everything hurt, and everything felt wrong. She couldn't remember anything and everyone in her life was acting vastly different than just what she remembered to be the day before. Light footsteps neared her bed and she languidly turned to see who it was, and offered a tired smile when she saw it was Rose.

"Hey you," The younger woman said before leaning down and kissing the non-bruised section of the injured parties forehead. A whooshed feeling cast over regina and knocked the wind out of her with the touch of Ruby's lips. She blinked several times before reaching up and stroking Ruby's cheek. "Where'd you just go?"

Regina remembered, she remembered everything, which caused her to wince in more pain. She also realized Ruby had no idea she just woke her up with a kiss… True love's kiss at that. But, until they had a better understanding of why Dorothy had attacked, and why Gothel was here, and what the hell the white light that cascaded out of her body and broke the curse was… she couldn't tell her lover she was awake.

"No where," She whispered, as she tugged Ruby to move closer and come onto the hospital bed with her. "When can I go home?"

"Not soon enough?" Ruby said softly as she slipped into the bed with her lover, "Roni…"

"I know you think this is your fault… It's not. Some crazy bitch attached me…" She replied as her non-busted hand threaded with Ruby's. "It's gonna be okay." The taller woman just cuddled gently into her lover, totally overwhelmed by the total situation.

Zelena hovered in the doorway of the room Dorothy was in, she watched the lifeless beast that had plagued her life for years, and now endangered the lives of her family and loved ones. She was still unconscious, the best she could fathom is that Regina blasted her with a huge amount of magic when the curse broke. Gold had arrested Gothel and slapped the magic cuff onto her wrist. Rogers and Gold had been focusing on getting any information out of the witch, while Zelena focused on taking care of her family. Though she'd like nothing more than to turn both of them into monkeys to serve her bidding.

She walked into the room and glared at the woman she had come to loathe more than she did in years prior. She reached over and waved her hand over the machine, seeing the machine drain of power slightly before it flicked back on. "Bollocks," She groaned, as she rolled up her sleeves. Her hand moved to remove the ventilator pump from the tube in Dorothy's mouth. She received a shock as soon as she touched it and jumped back with a yelp.

"It's cursed to protect her, Dearie," He said, "Gothel said one of the coven protected it so we can't touch her,"

"My magic is stronger than any two bit rent-a-witch." Zelena scoffed, "She hurt my sister."

"And, caused her to forget who she was. But, not before delivering a near-fatal blow of grey magic to her lovers-abuser." Gold remarked as he regarded the abuser in the hospital bed. At the raise of the eyebrow from her sister he continued, "It surprised me too, grey is rarity in the magic world. It seems that hers has slipped back in a deep middle-ground. Her lover's power comes from a ancient curse of dark magic; and her magic developed from her hate…"

"But, it changed… when she split her heart and when she changed herself." Zelena tried to argue, knowing how hard Regina worked for her perceived goodness.

"She did a lot to survive this life, and she was alone a lot in the Forest. It's not something that we can control. I'm not saying she's gone dark and evil queen… but, she's not white magic, honestly she never was."

"At least Ruby will not care," Zelena shrugged, "Those two are really quite the pair." She looked back over at the woman, "You sure I can't just kill her?"

"Sorry, dearie." he said with a flick of his wrist to show just how much he couldn't kill her. "She's protected."

"We will find a way." Zelena growled, "No matter what she won't get away with this."


End file.
